Overtake without catching up. The motto borrowed by Walter Ulbricht made the round, as a representative of the auto industry, scientists and specialist politicians for the first time gathered for the national platform for electromobility. That was in 2010. It was already evident that future CO2 limit values in Europe could not be created without a significant proportion of electric cars in the new registrations. At the time, the experts themselves did not think of competitive cars from China, but it was already clear at the first working meeting of the platform: Without a native battery production, an essential part of the added value would hike to Asia. A specially set up working group battery discussed how to remedy the situation. Was it worth concentrating all the strength on research on a new battery technology? Hadn’t scientists in the laboratory recently demonstrated that solid -state batteries promised sensational energy density of 1000 watt hours per liter of volume? Soon the solid battery was considered a “holy grail” of electromobility. It differs from common cells primarily in that a solid is used instead of a liquid ion conductor. However, the few electrochemists working in Germany 15 years ago warned like Martin Winter from the University of Münster that a long way to get from the laboratory onto the street, and the outcome was uncertain. It was a long way. Only since this year the first solid batteries have been on the street, in test vehicles from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Bayern’s batteries come from Solid Power, a company founded in 2011 and initially financed with money from the American military company in Colorado in the United States. Bayern are now the largest shareholders. Mercedes-Benz works with the cells of Factorial, which is also at home in the USA. Mercedes had already bought from the potential supplier in 2021. From Stuttgart it can be heard that the new batteries are doing well on the road. However, with an energy density of 450 watt hours per kilo, the testakkus does not yet irritate the full potential of the technology. Slowly it is progressing: Mercedes-Benz trial vehicle creates 1205 kilometers with a battery loading Mercedes-Benz Agauch. Stellantis with his brands from Fiat to Chrysler and Jeep to Citroën, Peugeot and Opel, like Mercedes, relies on Factorial’s cells. A small demonstration fleet is to be set up by next year. Volkswagen had participated in the Californian start-up quantum cape with more than 400 million euros and finally announced another, now-dependent capital injection of more than 100 million euros. There was a first success report on the international automotive exhibition in Munich. The Californians’ cells are to be tested in a very sporty motorcycle of the Ducati brand belonging to the VW group. At the same time, one is working on integrating the flexible cells into the unit housing, says Thomas Schmall, who is responsible for technology in the VW board member. Technically, a major challenge combines for the solid variant because the lithium metal anode used during the store is expanding, and it is still a long way to produce a large number of fixed-body batteries. Nobody wants to give a definitive date for the first gigafabrik from the Europeans, at most reference is made to a first assignment “by 2030” – but it can then also take place in a niche model. According to his own statements, Volkswagen is striving for a marketable solution until the end of the decade. The chemist coordinates German research on solid-state batteries at the Justus Liebig University Gießen, provided that it is financed with the federal government. While lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes have been produced for 35 years, solid-state cells are still a young technology, says Janek. Some fundamental questions have now been largely clarified, such as the question of which material the solid should consist of. The material should offer a high permeability for the lithium ions over a wide temperature range. This is generally not an easy task for solid material, but it is significantly deciding how quickly the battery can be loaded. Oxide and Sulfite seem to best meet this requirement. Research is already referring to detailed questions, such as the question of the influence of small contaminants of the lithium by sodium on the conductivity. In today’s batteries, graphite takes over this function. If you could do without the material, 30 percent of the installation space would be saved. Whether the associated expansion of the cells can be mastered safely during each individual loading process remains unanswered for Janek. Sony and Panasonic had developed the first lithium-ion battery there in the 1980s. To this day, Japanese companies are still ambitious in researching solid batteries. In 2021, the car manufacturer Toyota Motor had promised series production for the middle of this decade. Now Toyota is planning the start of series production in 2028 together with the Japanese energy group Idemitsu. According to Toyotas, the two companies have globally registered most patents around this technology in recent years, followed by other Japanese companies. Near Tokyo, Toyota and Idemitsu built a pilot production line four years ago. In just three years, the new miracle battery of up to 1200 kilometers is said to be invited within ten minutes and 40 percent less than previously usual models. At the most recent general meeting in June, Hiroki reinforced Nakajima, who is responsible for research on the board, but the expectations. Feature batteries continued to be part of the Toyota drive strategy and you continue to stick to the schedule, Nakajima replied to the question of a shareholder. But then he admitted: “Of course, it cannot be said whether it will work or not.” If the group could not produce solids, another planned project will run into nothing. Failure possible: Exponation of a solido battery from Toyotatoyota “Development is always unpredictable,” said Nakajima and referred to a motto of the CEO and founders’ senior Akio Toyoda: “It is fine. So much skepticism from the mouth of a Japanese is unusual for a project entrusted to him. The battery manufacturer Panasonic, which supplies Tesla, among other things, took too high expectations of the solid batteries from the table. By 2029, the company plans to produce such batteries for drones and high -performance drills. However, he does not expect solid batteries to displace the conventional lithium-ion batteries from electric cars, said Tatawa, who heads the technology development on the Panasonic board, in August the newspaper “Financial Times”. The lithium-ion technology develops too quickly. “When you look at the charging swears that BYD or others reach with supercharger systems, you can see that solid batteries are not the only option,” said Ogawa. Rapid loaders (superchargers), but also economically cheaper battery variants could therefore push the solid battery on the market into a niche. The government in Tokyo still fuels the urge to research domestic companies with lush subsidies. Last autumn, the Ministry of Economic Affairs filled a new funding pot with 350 billion yen (2.2 billion euros) for battery research. Part of it flows into a new Panasonic factory, which together with Japanese car manufacturers such as Subaru and Mazda is working on new techniques. Breakthrough only for smaller format the Japanese technology group TDK is optimistic. Last year, the company reported a breakthrough in research to solid batteries and claims to have reached a hundred times higher energy density than with the substances used so far. By the end of the year, TDK plans to produce the first prototypes of button cells with this solid technology. You could be used in hearing aids, smartwatches or glasses with computer functions. The question that Panasonic also raises are battery experts in this country: Is it still worth hope for the tremendous technology in view of the progress of conventional technology? In view of the advancing expansion of the charging infrastructure, it would be not targeted to use the budgets for research and development on the most inexpensive battery technology as possible? Ask Matt Shen, European Chair of the Chinese world market leader Catl (Contempory Amperex Technology Limited), according to which solid -state battery, he first confirms the official date for a announced pilot series: In 2027 it should be ready to test the technology in the vehicle. SHEN does not want to comment on higher quantities that large series production is affected with numerous problems that are still to be solved. Shen prefers to talk about the first battery that the company has developed especially for European customers. The battery uses a liquid electrolyte, but above all the lithium iron phosphate technology. This was previously considered a cheap solution that was avoided by German premium manufacturers. But the Chinese manufacturer is willing to develop them to success. Could be superfluous: Anoden coating in a test system of the Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCopowerCoBoCOBE was founded. The negative attitude of German engineers was that the theoretically storable energy decreases significantly in a battery when iron phosphate is used instead of nickel, manganese and cobalt. The cell tension is also lower; This limits the possible maximum performance and the loading speed, but what experienced Chinese engineers get out of the technology catapults the lithium iron phosphate battery into a new dimension-provided that the figures mentioned by the manufacturer at the AutoTomesse IAA are correct. Shen promises more than 750 kilometers in the European standard cycle. The battery package would not be greater than one that enables 500 kilometers of range today. Instead of the range, the loading time could also be optimized; Then in ten minutes more than 400 additional kilometers would be on board, even at temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius. This should not work on the lifespan of the battery, on the contrary. Shen says that after 200,000 kilometers there are still 91 percent of the original capacity, after one million kilometers around three quarters. Last but not least, the new battery is more secure than ever: Even if a single cell caught fire, it cannot escape the others. With such progress, it is conventional to open a battery future in which the opportunities of the solid cells. Theoretically, it would also be possible to marry both technologies – the ion director from solid and the cathode material iron phosphate. An intermediate step in this direction was recently presented on the caravansalon in Düsseldorf by the battery provider Renogy. However, the battery is not suitable for cars. The future of the solid battery is more uncertain about cars. It would be negligent to rely on premium technology alone, warns Martin Winter, who was there 15 years ago. One should not bet that the approximately 6000 university researching Chinese research on batteries is less common than a few dozen chairs in this country.
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