High Energy, Long Life Lithium-Ion Battery

Energy-dense, long-life energy storage is needed to improve market readiness and enable higher penetration of electric vehicles. Today’s state-of-the-art lithium-ion EV battery lasts around 10 years and provides just 100-250 miles range, both inferior to conventional vehicles. Across virtually all of today’s Li-ion chemistries, Li loss capacity fade is the dominant mechanism that limits lifespan. High-energy Li-ion electrode materials presently under research and development (e.g., silicon) suffer even shorter life than today’s materials because of large volume change during cycling that fractures electrode surface films and accelerates Li loss. In addition to lifetime challenges, large irreversible Li loss on the first cycle limits the beginning-of-life performance of these high-energy electrodes. To boost initial capacity, these materials presently require prelithiation as an extra manufacturing step, adding unwanted cost to the cell. This project seeks to overcome the barrier presented by limited useable Li inventory in order to enable higher energy, longer life batteries.