Our LiX® anode is a game changer in a world of lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are expensive to manufacture. The United States is 90% reliant on China for the materials to make lithium-ion batteries with demand growing. These batteries also age quickly, without being used. Even more importantly, lithium-ion batteries risk overheating and are flammable. Not cool, right?
Our LiX® technology allows the battery to charge 100% in 15 minutes. We’ve just saved you 30 minutes of charge time for your electric vehicle. The charge will also last longer, getting you where you need to go.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A solid-state battery is a rechargeable energy storage system similar in overall structure and operation to the more familiar lithium-ion battery. The two differ in that a lithium-ion battery contains a liquid electrolyte while a solid-state battery—as its name suggests—features a solid one. This allows solid-state batteries to be lighter, have more energy density, offer more range, and recharge faster. The challenge to making solid-state batteries viable is developing technology commonly used in small devices and applying it to large-scale applications like electric vehicles (EVs).
When the second-generation EV1 rolled out a mere three years later, its power source switched to a nickel-metal hydride battery pack and driving range nearly doubled to 142 miles. Just as the EV1 was being phased out, Tesla Motors entered the automotive sphere with its Tesla Roadster, the first production battery-electric vehicle to utilize lithium-ion batteries. As the saying goes, the rest is history.
Unlike the lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride batteries of yore, lithium-ion batteries are constructed with a liquid electrolyte to manage the flow of energy between the cathode and anode. The benefits of a lithium-ion battery include longer battery life, better performance in varying temperatures, recyclable components, and higher energy density. Energy density is the amount of energy a battery can store per unit weight. Simply put, the higher the density, the higher the power output.
Despite its many benefits, there are drawbacks to lithium-ion batteries. Although lighter than older battery technologies, its liquid insides still make lithium-ions quite heavy. They also perform better when in stackable packs, which adds even more weight. Additionally, the electrolytes are flammable, can be unstable in extreme temperatures, and lead to explosions or fires if damaged or improperly charged. There is no shortage of news reports covering everything from cellphones to airplanes catching fire due to battery issues.
Solid-state batteries have been used in small devices like pacemakers as well as RFID and wearable devices for years. Having fewer bits and pieces means fewer things can go wrong. In addition to improved safety, size, and stability, solid-state batteries in EVs would also offer faster charging times, more travel range, and even greater energy density.
Solid-state batteries can reach an 80-percent charge within 15 minutes and incur less strain after multiple charging cycles. A lithium-ion battery will begin to degrade and lose power capacity after 1,000 cycles. On the other hand, a solid-state battery will maintain 90 percent of its capacity after 5,000 cycles.
With a lithium metal anode, solid-state battery technology can provide higher energy densities. They avoid using hazardous or harmful materials used in industrial batteries. Solid-state batteries rely on a solid electrolyte, which is more stable, less flammable, and safer. Since it doesn’t have a risk of explosion or fire, there is no need to have components for safety, thus saving more space.
A solid-state electrolyte (SSE) is a solid ionic conductor and electron-insulating material that is a key component of solid-state batteries. It has applications in electrical energy storage as a replacement for liquid electrolytes, such as those used in lithium-ion batteries. Some key benefits include increased protection, no hazardous organic liquid leakage problems, low flammability, non-volatility, mechanical and thermal stability, low self-discharge, higher achievable power density and cyclability.
This non-PEO based polymer electrolyte membrane can be applied to any electrode material or free-stand without sacrificing its superior ionic conductivity at a wider temperature range. What does that mean? It means your battery will be safer, minimizing the risk of overheating.
To put it simply, our materials make your battery more powerful, efficient, and safe while saving money. We think that’s pretty awesome.