BioSolar claim Lithi-ion technology breakthrough
BioSolar have claimed to have made a breakthrough in Lithium-ion batteries. The company say they have designed a battery can double the range of Tesla's electric vehicle whilst costing up to four times less than the company's current battery, improving lifespan and charging times,allowing a milestone of $100kWh (compared to Tesla's current costs of $200 to $300wKkh). The breakthrough has been made from a modification to the cathode of the battery which is unable to hold as much power as the anode using inexpensive conductive polymers and organic materials.
The energy storage technology company BioSolar has claimed a breakthrough in the field of lithium-ion batteries, according to a recent press release.

To be more specific, the company has claimed that a technology that it’s currently developing can significantly expand the life, increase the energy capacity, and lower the costs associated with lithium-ion batteries.

According to the BioSolar (based on internal analyses), a battery model built using the company’s new technology could double the range of a Tesla electric vehicle (EV) while costing roughly 4 times less than its current battery. As well, it could reportedly improve the lifespan of the battery and improve charging times. The company thinks that the technology could allow for a $100/kilowatt-hour milestone to be crossed — potentially leading to far greater EV sales numbers. (Note that it’s widely assumed Tesla’s battery packs cost well under $400/kWh — closer to $200/kWh or $300/kWh — so that makes the “4 times less” claim quite questionable.)

BioSolar’s CEO, David Lee, recently stated:

A battery contains two major parts, a cathode and an anode, that function together as the positive and negative sides. Today’s state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery is limited by the storage capacity of its cathode, while the anode can store much more. Inspired by nature, we are developing a novel cathode based on inexpensive conductive polymers and organic materials that can fully utilize the storage capacity of conventional anodes. By integrating our high capacity, high power and low-cost cathode with conventional anodes, battery manufacturers can create a super lithium-ion battery that can double the range of a Tesla, power an iPhone for 2 days straight, or store daytime solar energy for nighttime use.

BioSolar’s novel high capacity cathode is engineered from a polymer, similar to that of low cost plastics and can hold 2 electrons for each molecular unit. Instead of conventional cathodes that use lithium-ion intercalation chemistry, which is inherently slow, the company’s technology exploits the fast redox-reaction properties of polymers to enable rapid charge and discharge.

Hmm…. Those certainly are BOLD claims, aren’t they? Even for a battery company, they seem to be quite “optimistic” claims to my eyes. Perhaps there’s some truth to them, though? We’ll find out eventually I suppose.

The company is currently supporting a research program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, that’s working to further develop the technology.

Images by BioSolar

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