Chinese company Brighsun New Energy presents a new lithium sulphate battery. The battery can theoretically give a range of 2,000 kilometres to electric vehicles.
The lithium sulphate batteries are based on eight years of research, according to the Chinese company. The batteries offer an energy density five to eight times higher than conventional batteries. The battery is currently being tested and is expected to offer a lifespan of over 2 million kilometres.
Limited capacity loss
The company reports the batteries have been tested by an international testing agency. This test shows that the batteries deliver their 91% initial capacity after 1,700 charge cycles, fully charging and discharging in 30 minutes each time. In practice, this translates into a capacity loss of 0.01% per charge cycle. When fully charged and discharged in just 12.5 minutes, 74% of the initial capacity is retained after 1,000 cycles. This amounts to a capacity loss of 0.026%.
Brighsun New Energy claims its batteries could be a game-changer for the electric vehicle market. The batteries combine high energy density and long range with low material costs and therefore relatively low production costs. According to the Chinese company, the batteries are suitable not only for electric vehicles, but also for a variety of other applications. These include means of transport such as trains, ships and aircraft, as well as mobile phones and drones. Another example is energy storage for power systems to absorb peaks in sustainably generated energy.
Lifetime and fast charging
The Chinese company is not the first to develop a lithium sulphate battery. German, US, Korean and Chinese companies preceded Brighsun New Energy, among others. However, these batteries all have challenges, such as the growth of dendrites in the lithium on the anode and growing volume of the cathode material. This, according to the Chinese company, leads to a shorter lifespan and limited fast-charging capabilities. Both characteristics limit the relevance of many existing lithium sulphate batteries for the automotive industry.
The raw materials for the batteries are widely available in Australia reports Brighsun New Energy, with enough material available for hundreds of years. As a result, the company expects to reduce the production cost of the batteries to less than 100 Australian dollars, or 58 euros, per 1 kWh of capacity.
The company also reports working on its own solid electrolyte, compatible with its lithium sulphate batteries. This electrolyte should further increase the number of charge cycles, energy density and safety of the batteries.
Production to start in late 2020
The Chinese company is currently seeking investors to conduct large-scale production tests. The company expects to have its mass production process ready by the end of 2020, after which production will start.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
