Electric Vehicles with Innovative Battery Technology
Battery power: five innovations for cleaner, greener electric vehicles
While the journey to a low-carbon economy is well under way, the best route to get there remains up for debate. But, amid the slew of pathways and roadmaps, one broad consensus exists: clean technology will play a vital role.
Nowhere is this truer than for transport. To cut vehicle emissions, an alternative to the combustion engine is required.
While green hydrogen is developing at pace, much of the early progress is in the electric vehicle (EV) space. Despite an overall flatlining in new car purchases, recent monthly figures show a 50% leap in year-on-year sales for EVs.
If you can make a battery serviceable, its possible to extend its life by 10 years
Yet, clean is a relative term. EVs do not have exhausts pumping out emissions, but the raw materials that go into them have just as much embedded carbon, if not more, as their combustion equivalents. As a recent Guardian investigation shows, the human rights and environmental costs of the green transport revolution are still not being fully considered in the race towards electric vehicles.
The batteries that EVs use are a big part of this problem and can push the weight of the car up to nearly 3,000kg. They contain rare metals many sourced from the poorest and most ecologically sensitive places on the planet.
Yet, eco-innovations are afoot. Here, we look at five early stage efforts to improve the green credentials of EV batteries at different stages of their life.
Mining: saving the aquifer
Acquiring the raw metals for batteries has been linked to environmental and human rights impacts, such as child labour (cobalt) and river pollution (copper).
Lithium, a rare metal on which EV batteries heavily depend, is extracted from land deposits or subterranean aquifers. In the case of the latter, vast quantities of salty groundwater are pumped to the surface and then evaporated in huge lake-sized pools. French metals company Eramet is experimenting with an alternative based on nanofiltration, which filters the water through natural mineral granules and returns it to the aquifer. The company has invested 200m (145m) in the project, including the construction of a working prototype in Salta, Argentina. With 90% yield rates, almost double the industry average, less virgin lithium ends up in the dustbin, says Philippe Gundermann, executive vice-president for strategy and innovation at Eramet. The company have also recently announced the start of construction on a new lithium plant in Argentina which they claim will meet 15% of European lithium needs.
Design: going modular
Electronics have an obsolescence problem that EVs share. The shift to electric is projected to create 12m tonnes of battery waste between now and by 2030. Step forward Aceleron. The UK startup hope to do for battery packs what the Dutch firm Fairphone has done for smartphones; namely, go modular. The key components in an electric battery the cathode, anode, separator, cooling system, fuses, assembly hardware, and so on all have different lifespans. Most batteries are glued or welded together, making it a headache to access a broken component. Acelerons alternative, uses compression to reduce the need to bond components, making it easier to disassemble a battery pack for repairs, servicing, or repurposing. If you can make a battery serviceable, its possible to extend its life by 10 years, says co-founder Carlton Cummins. The Midlands-based company has deals to use its battery system in trucks and all-terrain vehicles.
Reuse: energy storage
At some stage, battery performance wanes. Storage capacity may no longer allow for a 250km round-trip, but that doesnt render them useless. Connected Energy, a Newcastle-based firm, takes old EV batteries and combines them into stationary power storage units. We use the batteries almost exactly as they are coming out of the vehicle, says the firms chief executive Matthew Lumsden. Each battery in the unit is connected to a computer system that monitors temperature levels and energy availability, as well as managing charging and discharging rates. Connected Energy has a dozen second-life power units operating on industrial sites in the UK and Europe, with plans to double this in the coming months. Lumsden expects his solution to ramp up from 2025 when first-time EV drivers begin to update their cars and more batteries become available. Unpublished research by Lancaster University indicates that for every megawatt-hour provided by Connected Energys storage system, the equivalent of about 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide is saved.
Recycling: low-energy smelting
When performance levels get to the point where re-use opportunities begin to peter out then recycling becomes the most viable option. Most EVs run on lithium-ion batteries. Not only are these highly volatile, as in theyre liable to catch fire, but, despite the name, they contain comparatively little lithium. Belgium-based Umicore, a one-time smelting firm turned urban miner, has developed a cutting-edge recycling system that melts down the core components into a metal alloy (including copper, nickel, and cobalt) and a concentrate (containing lithium and other rare elements). The batterys own energy, plus the organic parts of its materials, mean that relatively little energy is added to reach the temperatures required for smelting, says company spokesperson, Marjolein Scheers. Heat also comes from burning harmful gases produced in the process.
Umicores site in the Hoboken district of Antwerp has the capacity to recycle the equivalent of 35,000 EV batteries a year, making it one of the largest in the world. Low impact battery recycling will be essential to lower the overall carbon footprint of rechargeable battery materials and will provide recycled content to drive the shift towards electric mobility, says Scheers.
Transparency: battery passport
What if electric car buyers entering a showroom could find out not only how far a single charge could take them or the time it takes to go from 0 km/h to 60 km/h, but also the details of the car batterys journey before reaching the forecourt? Thats the goal of an ambitious project by the Global Battery Alliance (GBA). The private-public initiative, coordinated by the World Economic Forum, plans to launch the battery passport at the end of next year.
The digital tool promises to track the management of social and environmental risks in an EV batterys life, from possible human rights abuses in mineral extraction to energy use in its production. Anna Pienaar, executive director at GBA, says the voluntary passport will allow regulators to track the environmental and human rights impact of EV batteries and customers can make more informed choices. The projects steering committee includes carmakers Audi and Renault, as well as the mining firm Glencore.
Menu Stellantis
AMSTERDAM Stellantis and Ample have signed a binding agreement to establish a partnership in electric vehicle (EV) battery charging technology capable of delivering a fully charged electric vehicle battery in less than five minutes. The two partners have agreed to work toward integrating Amples Modular Battery Swapping solution in Stellantis electric vehicles. Battery swapping technology allows an EV customer who stops at a battery swapping station to have its depleted EV battery swapped out for a fully charged battery in a matter of minutes.
The two companies are also in discussions regarding the expansion of the application of Amples Modular Battery Swapping Technology to meet Stellantis fleet and consumer demand across other Stellantis platforms and geographies.
The initial program is planned to begin in Madrid, Spain in 2024 using a fleet of 100 Fiat 500es within Stellantis Free2move car sharing service. The Fiat 500e is the highest selling electric vehicle within Stellantis, sold globally and is an EV leader in multiple European markets.
The partnership with Ample is another example of how Stellantis is exploring all avenues that enable freedom of mobility for our electric vehicle customers, said Ricardo Stamatti, Stellantis Senior Vice President, Charging & Energy Business Unit. In addition to other projects we are focused on, Amples Modular Battery Swapping solution has the opportunity to offer our customers greater energy efficiency, outstanding performance and lower range anxiety. We are looking forward to executing the initial program with our stellar Fiat 500e.
At Ample, we believe in the importance of making electric vehicles accessible to everyone without compromises, which is the only way that we will make a significant impact on lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Stellantis ambitious electrification goals, its range of electric vehicles, and the commitment of its leadership, make Stellantis a perfect partner in achieving our goals, said Khaled Hassounah, CEO of Ample. The combination of offering compelling electric vehicles that can also receive a full charge in less than five minutes will help remove the remaining impediments to electric vehicle adoption. We look forward to working with Stellantis to deploy our joint solution across communities around the world.
Amples technology provides an alternative way to deliver energy to electric vehicles that makes the refueling experience as fast and convenient as refueling with gas, while offering a green solution to customers that can more seamlessly integrate renewable energy sources.
Ample batteries are designed to be a drop-in replacement for an electric vehicles original battery. This is made possible by Amples modular batteries, which can fit into any electric vehicle, and would allow Stellantis to integrate Amples technology without reengineering its vehicle platforms.
In addition, Amples light-weight battery swapping stations can be deployed in public areas in as little as three days, allowing for a rapidly scalable infrastructure that can meet drivers demand. When an Ample-enabled EV approaches the Ample station, the vehicle is immediately recognized by the station. Once parked inside, the driver initiates the battery swap from the mobile app resulting in a fully charged battery in less than five minutes.
Amples Modular Battery Swapping solution is designed to be fast and cost-effective, thereby minimizing the time when electric vehicles are out-of-service, as well as the related financial impacts. Amples battery technology would be made available to EV customers on a subscription service basis. This approach would reduce the upfront total cost of the vehicle, as well as allow the customer to benefit from always having the latest battery technology, effectively increasing the EVs range and lifespan.
As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching a 100% passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. To achieve these sales targets, the Company is securing approximately 400 GWh of battery capacity. Stellantis is on track to become a carbon net zero corporation by 2038, all scopes included, with single-digit percentage compensation of remaining emissions.
Ample was named among Fast Companys Next Big Things in Tech 2023 - Winner of Transportation Category, TIMEs 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023, XPRIZEs XB100 Top Private Deep Tech Companies of 2023, Fast Companys World Changing Ideas and 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2022, and TIMEs Best Inventions in 2021.
About Ample
Ample aims to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and sustainable transportation energy globally. The company is pioneering a new method of energy delivery through modular battery swapping and can deliver 100% charge to any EV in under 5 minutes. Founded in 2014, Ample is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.ample.com.
About Stellantis
Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is one of the world's leading automakers and a mobility provider. Its storied and iconic brands embody the passion of their visionary founders and todays customers in their innovative products and services, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citron, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. Powered by ourdiversity, we lead the way the world moves aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.
