Meanwhile, demand for lithium ain't going away. Everyone is still going to need it ...
In a potentially game-changing move for the EV industry, Stellantis and Zeta Energy Corp have teamed up to develop the next-generation EV battery with more range, more power, 50% faster charging, and at less than half the cost.
newatlas.com
Stellantis lithium-sulfur EV batteries: cheaper, lighter, more range
December 06, 2024
Zeta Energy Corp's bold, yellow-packaged lithium-sulfur batteries to power the future
In a potentially game-changing move for the EV industry, Stellantis and Zeta Energy Corp have teamed up to develop the next-generation EV battery with more range, more power, 50% faster charging, and at less than half the cost.
Lithium-ion batteries have powered the electric vehicle (EV) revolution since 2008, when Tesla introduced the
Roadster to the world, powered by 53 kWh of Li-ion goodness, with a range of around 245 miles (394 km). The iconic Roadster nearly doubled the 140-mile (225 km) range of General Motors' 1999 EV1, which was powered by an incredibly heavy, 26.4 kWh nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack.
Despite lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries having been conceptualized in the 1960s, practical applications were limited due to issues like poor life cycles and capacity loss from something called "
the polysulfide shuttle effect," unique to Li-S batteries. As the battery discharges, sulfur at the cathode side reacts with the lithium, creating lithium polysulfides which diffuse through the electrolyte to the anode leaving deposits. While charging, some polysulfides would migrate back to the cathode, but not all, degrading the battery very quickly.
Texas, USA-based Zeta, in partnership with global automotive giant, Stellantis, reckons it's got that figured out.
Recent advancements in material technology and the development of barriers and coatings trap these polysulfides, preventing them from "shuttling" between the electrodes, effectively fixing the pesky premature death effect.
https://newatlas.com/automotive/stellantis-zeta-lithium-sulfur-li-s-batteries/#gallery:1
Zeta Energy Corp uses unrefined sulfur – a byproduct or leftover waste of various industries – inside its Li-S batteries
The collaboration could mean a leap in EV battery technology:
Li-S is significantly lighter than their Li-ion counterparts. A Li-ion battery typically packs between 150-250 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) of energy in them. Li-S can achieve up to 400-600 Wh/kg. That's a
lot of juice.
Li-S can provide same amount of power with a smaller package – meaning not only greater range in your EV because the batteries are going to weigh 30-50% less, but better handling and performance. The lighter, the better.
The two companies also claim improvements in fast-charging speeds by as much as 50% over traditional lithium-ion battery packs. Li-S has a simpler chemistry and doesn't rely on the slow diffusion of lithium ions into solid materials (like the graphite in Li-ion). Instead, reactions occur directly between the lithium and sulfur which is faster and more straightforward. They also operate at lower voltages, so they don't have as much resistance during charging, making them absorb energy more quickly.
The kicker: Li-S batteries are expected to cost less than
half the price per kilowatt-hour than Li-ion.
Sulfur is abundant and Zeta's Li-S batteries use waste materials like methane and unrefined sulfur from various industries. They also ditch expensive, hard-to-source materials like cobalt, graphite, manganese or nickel; which Li-ion is also made from. Zeta's approach can utilize locally sourced materials and use existing factories to assemble its batteries, slashing CO2 emissions compared to existing battery tech.
