The growth of the electric vehicle market depends on the availability of long-lasting, quick-charging batteries, yet current lithium-ion batteries fall short since they are too heavy, expensive, and slow to charge. Such electric batteries are necessary for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The main aim is to create a battery that consumes as much time to recharge as it does to fill a gas tank.
Adden Energy- Harvard-backed battery startup develops a game-changing battery that charges an electric vehicle in 3 minutes
Solid-state, lithium-metal batteries, which carry far more energy in the same space and charge in less amount of time than conventional lithium-ion batteries, have been the subject of research efforts for decades. Because of its high capacity and energy density, a lithium-metal battery is regarded as the holy grail of battery chemistry, according to Xin Li, an associate professor of materials science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) but these batteries’ stability has never been good enough.
Li and his team created a layered battery that placed various materials of differing stabilities between the anode and cathode to get around this problem. Lithium dendrites cannot enter this multi-layer, multi-material battery because they are not stopped entirely rather, they are controlled and contained. Additionally, rather than the organic liquids used in current Li-ion batteries, the cells use a ceramic electrolyte. This action significantly lowers the chance of a fire. The lab prototype is currently the equivalent of a coin. It would need to be around the size of a somewhat hefty textbook to fit in an EV. To determine the same, many different factors must be considered.
A BLT sandwich is a perfect comparison for the batteries. First comes the bread which is the lithium metal anode followed by lettuce which is a layer of graphite. Next, a layer tomatoes is the first electrolyte, and then a layer of bacon is the second electrolyte. At last, the sandwich is completed with another layer first electrolyte and finally, places the bread that is the cathode.
This lithium metal solid-state battery is stable and capable of at least 10,000 cycles of charging and discharging many more than have already been demonstrated. The researchers used a commercial high-energy-density cathode material in conjunction with the novel design. Instead of the lithium-ion present in commercially available EV batteries, lithium metal batteries have been developed.
Adden Energy is a startup in Massachusetts that is developing cutting-edge solid-state battery systems for use in future electric vehicles. It has been granted an exclusive technology license by Harvard’s Office of Technology Development. Adden Energy has also received $5.15 million in funding to build the battery at scale to fit in EVs.
With the help of this battery technology, electric vehicles might last 10 to 15 years between battery replacements, matching the lifespan of gasoline-powered cars. The battery could pave the path for electric vehicles that can fully charge in 10 to 20 minutes because of its high current density.
They want to provide those without garages or who cannot charge their EVs overnight with a solution to do so in a shorter amount of time. The company wants to lower the entire cost of EVs, especially if it eliminates the need for pricy charging equipment and improves its effectiveness.
