ProLogium, a partner of Mercedes, has developed semiconductor batteries with an anode made of silicon oxide. Such a battery can significantly extend the range of electric cars. Electric cars certainly have a lot of advantages, including not only silence while driving, but also low operating costs. Refueling the Kia EV6 model, which has a 77.4 kWh battery, at current energy prices, costs about PLN 60 from a home installation. For this amount, you can drive a distance close to 500 km. To cover the same distance in a car with a gasoline engine, you would have to spend at least three times more. This does not mean, however, that they are flawless vehicles. The largest of these is the range, which means that longer journeys must be properly planned. It is necessary to take into account the breaks necessary for charging the batteries, which significantly extends the travel time and poses a certain risk. There is no certainty that the charger chosen by us works.
Semiconductor batteries will revolutionize electric cars
Modern battery technology does not allow a significant increase in the range of vehicles. Fortunately, this can change thanks to semiconductor batteries, on which the ProLogium company, a partner of Mercedes, is working.
During the car show in Paris, the company presented the fruit of several years of development work in the form of a new cell with an anode made entirely of silicon oxide. During the fair, the company announced that the cell prototype should be ready in the next quarter, but we will have to wait a little longer for the final version.
“The highly stable oxide electrolyte is used to replace the flammable liquid polymer electrolyte to prevent or delay the effect of thermal instability. The stability of the electrolyte material allows the use of high-performance cathode and anode materials to ensure higher energy density in the cells and lower production costs. “- we can read in the company’s announcement.
The biggest advantage of the technology developed by ProLogium engineers is the significant increase in the energy density of semiconductor batteries, which is 295-330 Wh / kg. For comparison, the 4,680 batteries installed in the Tesla Model Y have a density below 300 Wh / kg, while the M3P phosphate packages from CATL, for the standard version of the Model Y, boast an energy density of 160 Wh / kg. Until now, no more than 10 percent of silicon has been used in the anodes present in batteries due to concerns about swelling. Proprietary technology developed by ProLogium, however, has changed this, allowing the anode to be made of 100 percent silicon. And these are not the only advantages of this technology. It also allowed to reduce the amount of lithium to a minimum, which has a positive effect on the cost of battery production. In other words, in the future, electric batteries will not only be cheaper, but also provide a much longer range. At the moment, however, we do not know when the new technology will enter mass production. Source
A professional writer by day, a tech-nerd by night, with a love for all things money.