October Round Up
So far we brought you the low down on two news items already: all the happenings at Northvolt, and CATL’s hybrid Li/Na ion battery pack. Here’s everything else that happened in October and the start of November.
We are excited to partner with TA Instruments as our sponsor - the leader in analytical instrumentation for all your battery characterization.
TA Instruments have a new application note out on using rheo-impedance spectroscopy. Rheo-impedance spectroscopy (Rheo-IS) is a method for simultaneously measuring rheology and electrochemical impedance.
Battery manufacturers know that slurries need to have a good conductive property to produce efficient and high-capacity batteries. Assessing the conductive network has been a pain point for most developers and manufacturers. This experiment highlights a new technique, Rheo-IS, for evaluating slurries that enables assessment of the conductive network, predicting the performance of the cell.
Read the experiment and learn how this new technique helps labs:
Predict battery performance early in the manufacturing process
Reduce electrode manufacturing scraps and active materials cost
Deliver better performing batteries, faster, to customers
🇺🇸 America
With the election of Trump last week, the direct concern for the battery industry is around the IRA. Under Biden, US planned battery capacity has tripled, with up to 92% of that funding and job creation going to Republican states.
Analysis by The Conversation found that the US ‘is in the midst of the biggest boom in clean energy manufacturing investments in history’ creating more than 131,000 jobs since the IRA became law in 2022. They found that construction is on track for 72% of expected battery production and 79% planned jobs. Benchmark even found that the US could make cheaper batteries that China by 2030 thanks to the IRA. However, these projects, and jobs, depend on the policies laid out in the IRA, and with the change in administration in January it’s very uncertain how many of these will remain.
Key battery things to watch for:
Domestic critical mineral production - Trump is supportive of domestic mining so there are likely to be reforms around permitting and financial support.
Mixed relations with Chinese firms - it’s expected that tariffs of >100% will be imposed on imported vehicles. However Trump has also spoken about welcoming Chinese automakers to manufacture in the US.
Degulatory environment - which may speed up timeline and cut production costs.
EV uncertainty - Trump has threatened to weaken emissions regulations around transport, but the US automakers compete on a gloabl market and EV adoption well underway even within America.
🌍️ Batteries and Geopolitics
Norwegian company Morrow is struggling with visa related barriers to production, as the local municipality changed its minds over their South Korean subcontractors coming to help start production in Arendal, delaying production by several months.
This comes in the wake of the EU imposing tariffs of up to 35.3% on Chinese EVS, on top of an existing 10%. These tariffs only cover EVs, rather than the entire supply chain as targeted by US sanctions. The Chinese government allegedly asked carmakers to halt European plant expansion while these tariffs were negotiated.
These kind of moves go both ways however, with China announcing sanctions on US drone company Skydio due to their business with Taiwan, preventing them from buying Chinese batteries. CEO Adam Bry called it “an attempt to eliminate the leading American drone company and deepen the world’s dependence on Chinese drone suppliers”.
🇨🇳 Chinese companies feeling the pinch
Chinese battery manufacturer Svolt has announced it is suspending operations in Europe, cancelling two planned factories in Germany. Svolt is blaming the EV market in Europe as below expectations, but other sources indicate that the company is already struggling in the Chinese market. Building the two factories would require capital investment of $4.2 billion, which insiders say is beyond a company of Svolt’s size at the moment.
This comes as no surprise to those familiar with the Chinese market, as overcapacity continues to take its toll on every part of the battery value chain struggling to make margins.
☀️ Swapping Batteries for Solar
The EU is supporting Norwegian/American company Freyr to build an LFP plant in Finland. The grant awarded is for €122 million with an anticipated output of 30,000 tons per year of LFP CAM. This comes at the same time as Freyr has bought Trina’s US Solar facilites in Texas, which may indicate a market pivot away from cell production and towards whole system focus, or perhaps just a market choice to have some kind of revenue generation for now. Freyr has also severed ties with 24M, who had licensed their technology to make thick electrodes. The breakup is probably an indication that they never quite got it working on the factory floor.
🔋 Best Inventions
A number of battery inventions made the Time Best Inventions list this year including:
Energy Vault’s Gravity battery
This employs massive blocks, which, after being raised, store the energy that went into lifting them, and when lowered, release that energy when it’s needed.
AM Batteries’ powder to electrode dry coating
This is a manufacturing technique that instead sprays the coating directly onto electrodes, eliminating the need for heat, dry time, or solvents.
South 8’s liquid gas electrolyte
This is a liquefied gas electrolyte that, when injected into battery cells, provides a more stable and longer-lasting charge than conventional liquids
✨ Other bits
In another blow for Northvolt, the investment chief of Volkswagen has stepped down from the board. Volkswagen confirms that this does not affect the shareholding of Volkswagen in Northvolt (21%).
Umicore suspends constuction of CAM plant in Canada, while Vianode has opened its first commercial scale synthetic graphite plant near Oslo, a huge milestone for Europe.
Amprius Technologies has announced a fast-charging silicon nano-wire battery with a reported 360 Wh/kg.
Adden Energy raised $15million for fast charging lithium metal batteries.
CMBlu was awarded a €30 million EU grant to construct a gigafactory in Greece by 2026. CMBlu Energy focuses on ‘SolidFlow’ battery technology.
🎧 What else we're reading and listening to
Cost modeling for the GWh-scale production of modern lithium-ion battery cells paper in Nature, with a battery cost tool.
Refining Energy Podcast this month:
Transmission with Aaron Wade:
Advances in Silicon-based Anodes
🌞 Thanks for reading!
📧 For tips, feedback, or inquiries - reach out
📣 For newsletter sponsorships - click here