Li-Metal nearing production of lithium metal anode material

Li-Metal, a developer of lithium metal anodes and other battery technologies, has released an operational update for its roll-to-roll anode pilot plant in Rochester, New York. Since its commissioning earlier this year, the facility has been ramping up production of its lithium metal anode sample materials using Li-Metal’s roll-to-roll physical vapor deposition (PVD) process.

This year, the facility has produced more than 3,000 meters of sample material for both internal and customer use. The plant can produce anode products with lithium thickness between 3 and 25 micrometers, and the company continues to customize its offerings to meet the unique needs of prospective customers.

Li-Metal has completed proof-of-concept testing of silicon anode pre-lithiation using its PVD equipment. Once it expands to commercial-scale pre-lithiation, Li-Metal says it will be able to serve a broader customer base with multiple next-generation battery anode technologies, significantly expanding the addressable market for its offerings.

“Silicon anodes are an exciting next-generation battery technology that is being commercialized in parallel with lithium metal-based batteries,” said Dr. Jonathan Goodman, Li-Metal’s Chief Scientist. “A key challenge with many silicon anodes is that they experience a significant loss of battery capacity in the first charge-discharge cycle. Our silicon pre-lithiation work holds substantial promise as a cost-effective, performance-enhancing technology to overcome this challenge.”

“Our US pilot plant continues to hit key benchmarks and technical milestones,” said Maciej Jastrzebski, co-founder and CEO of Li-Metal. “The process productivity increases we have achieved this year play a big part in determining production economics. We have demonstrated high-rate deposition, and to our knowledge, we are operating the highest-intensity PVD lithium deposition process in the world.”

Li-Metal recently completed a scoping study for the development and build-out of a small commercial-scale anode production facility. The envisioned plant will demonstrate a PVD lithium anode production line at full scale, while supplying up to a million meters per year (approximately 200-250 MWh) of large-format anodes for advanced product qualification and early-stage production.

“As our customers increase the scale of piloting activities for their next-generation batteries, we are advancing our scale-up efforts in lockstep with demand so that we are in a leading position to support the advancement of these technologies,” said Jastrzebski. “In addition to maturing our processes, the team is focused over the coming year on securing partnerships and material orders to secure offtake for the Anode Demo Plant.”

Jeep begins production of Avenger EV in Europe

In September, Jeep unveiled three new battery-electric SUVs—two mid-size SUVs, the Recon and the Wagoneer S, are to be built in North America and go on sale in 2024. A third, smaller EV, called the Avenger, was officially launched at the recent Paris Motor Show, and sources at Jeep are predicting that it could become the brand’s best-selling model.

The Jeep Avenger will technically be the brand’s first pure EV, but it will come in both gas and electric versions, which will be sold in different markets. Forbes reports that Spain and Italy will get the fossil-burning version, while the EV version will be sold elsewhere in Europe.

The Avenger will be built on Stellantis’s STLA Small platform. Production has begun at the Stellantis plant in Tychy, Poland, which has just completed retooling. Initial production capacity is 1,000 cars per day.

All-new Jeep® Avenger, the first-ever fully electric Jeep SUV

The Avenger has 156 hp, weighs 1,541 kg, and has a 54 kWh (51 kWh usable) battery pack. Jeep is predicting a range of 400 km (250 miles) on the WLTP testing cycle. Level 2 charging at 11 kW is standard, as is a heat pump to improve cold-weather range. DC charging at 100 kW is supported.

Forbes’s James Morris reports that Jeep’s ICE+EV strategy involved some compromises, including a cramped back seat with “a mound in the middle of the floor.”

The Avenger is apparently considered too small for US buyers—there are no plans to bring it to North America at present, although Head of Design Ralph Gilles has reportedly held out some hope for the future.

Jeep hasn’t announced a price yet, but Mr. Morris estimates that it will start at no less than £36,000 ($41,000) in the UK.

Delta Electronics demonstrates 400 kW solid-state transformer-based EV charger

Delta Electronics (Americas) demonstrated a next-generation SiC MOSFET solid-state transformer-based 400 kW EV charger at a recent event attended by representatives of project partners GM, DTE Energy and NextEnergy.

Delta’s “extreme fast” EV charger uses a three-phase 13.8 kV medium-voltage SiC MOSFET SST topology. It provides 500 A of charging current, and the company claims grid-to-vehicle energy efficiency as high as 96.5%.

Delta says its next-generation SST technology offers “essential capabilities for smart grid applications, such as reactive power compensation for voltage stabilization and improved power quality.” The new charger’s HVDC power architecture “enables connection with renewable energy and energy storage systems.”

“Delta continuously develops ground-breaking technologies and fosters long-lasting relationships with partners,” said Kelvin Huang, President of Delta Electronics (Americas). “This is how Delta, a member of the RE100 and EV100 initiatives, has been able to deliver more than 1.5 million EV chargers worldwide over the past decade.”

“A key aspect of the new technology is the ability to connect directly to medium-voltage distribution and provide faster, more efficient charging compared to lower-voltage chargers,” said Richard Mueller, DTE Energy Technology, Standards and Interconnection Manager. “This project will give DTE and its project partners significant insight into how these fast chargers can be integrated safely, reliably and with ever-growing numbers into the grid.”  

Nikola plans 60 hydrogen stations by 2026, aided by incentives

Nikola Tre BEV in Washington, D.C.Nikola expects the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to provide a big boost to its efforts to establish a hydrogen network for its fuel-cell trucks. The company late last week said it would build 60 hydrogen fueling stations by 2026, thanks to lower costs enabled by the IRA’s incentives, as well as state-level incentives. Some work is already…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews