“Considering Outdoors the Battery” to Dramatically Enhance Battery Efficiency

In a latest episode of CleanTech Discuss, I interviewed Jeff Granato, President, CEO, & Co-Founding father of Iontra, and Daniel Konopka, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Iontra, with a view to step into the world of cost management optimization. We mentioned how Iontra is delivering important — one may even say dramatic — battery efficiency enhancements with out battery cell chemistry adjustments or battery pack redesign. Confused? Hear in to get the complete story.

“We at Iontra are delivering dramatically higher efficiency and security from current batteries which are in circulation in the present day,” Granato summarizes. “And, actually, what we’re delivering is peace of thoughts that we’re not plating on the anode beneath all circumstances the battery might discover itself in.” He provides that their know-how additionally creates “new methods to enhance vary and different sensible elements of battery use and longer life batteries to take a number of the strain off of second-life functions and mineral use.”

“Once we work with prospects, we’ll inform them we have now a twofold efficiency enchancment,” Konopka says, “however if you have a look at all of our third social gathering validation, the numbers are far larger — so, 3 to five to six occasions enchancment.” Naturally, enchancment is determined by the applying, and the lab will not be at all times the identical as the actual world. Nevertheless, Granato provides, “What we discover with prospects is that — as Daniel was mentioning — we are able to typically do two occasions the cost pace, and we are able to do a lot better lifetime biking enchancment you probably have constraints on energy availability, and we’ve been demonstrating upwards of 4× lifecycle enchancment.” Even the Iontra group is usually blown away by the enhancements. “Our group within the lab — we have now conferences a pair occasions every week reviewing all of the biking that’s occurring — and oftentimes they present as much as the conferences like, ‘This factor’s nonetheless going!’ And so, they even wow themselves.”

And this underscores what makes Iontra attention-grabbing. The business has lengthy been accustomed to distinct tradeoffs between higher battery lifetime and quicker charging efficiency. Iontra is providing its prospects the chance to have each in a calculated method with what it calls a efficiency price range. After biking batteries in its labs, Iontra determines the true potential of a battery cell or pack, and the final word efficiency of the battery is then primarily based on the shopper’s distinctive wants. It’s a balancing act of quicker charging, longer cycle life, capability utilization, and chilly climate charging (Iontra examined its tech as little as -20°C for an influence device producer), all whereas sustaining general security of the battery. A buyer might select to make use of its efficiency price range to push the envelope on chilly climate charging and quicker charging, whereas sustaining cycle life and capability utilization, for instance. It’s the shopper’s name, and it’s from there the Iontra algorithm, or “recipe,” is developed.

Nevertheless, with Iontra not being concerned in battery chemistries or pack administration, I do must admit that I used to be a bit confused at first — how does Iontra assist to dramatically enhance battery efficiency with out altering battery chemistry or design? What the corporate handles to enhance this stuff is the cost controller — and that may make a giant distinction!

With software program, and slightly little bit of {hardware} modification, it handles battery charging and administration in a better manner. It improves battery efficiency largely by an algorithm that deploys throughout battery pack charging. “Particularly, what we’re delivering is a cost management algorithm that Daniel will get into in additional element that’s actually novel in its method,” Granato says, “and the way in which that we’re making it doable for corporations to undertake this new method is to allow them to only change the cost management chip that they’re utilizing in the present day with an Iontra cost management chip within the subsequent couple of years when it turns into accessible.” Within the meantime, the method is “utilizing off-the-shelf cost management MCUs in the present day with our embedded C libraries to attain the dramatic efficiency enhancements that we’re in a position to ship with the algorithm.”

Konopka steps again once more to clarify it in one other manner and assist us wrap our minds round what’s occurring, after which will get into additional element as nicely. “From afar, you’d describe us as a battery charger, or a pack charger, however actually, extra technically, we’re a know-how that’s primarily based upon electrochemistry in addition to electrodynamics, utilizing these ideas to stabilize the battery and the pack even beneath very difficult or stressing circumstances. And what that enables us to do, with essentially stabilized elements inside a battery, is push the efficiency of that battery in a selected course. That course goes to be depending on the applying and the shopper working with our know-how, however usually occasions that’s going to be charging the battery very quick with out accruing the kind of degradation and security issues that often come up if you use a special kind of technique for controlling the battery.

“Alternatively, and really importantly for longevity and sustainability, is definitely rising the cycle lifetime of the battery, and guaranteeing that that system that’s already been assembled with supplies which have already been mined, already circulated, has the chance to serve in its capability for the longest doable time.”

That simply captures simply the primary 5½ minutes of the dialog. I requested extra particularly about dendrite development, battery degradation, fireplace threat, and security, and that’s the place Daniel Konopka actually teased out some key variations between how it’s serving to to cope with these challenges in contrast with standard approaches to these challenges. “Essentially, that basically is the query, as a result of it’s most tied to security. When a battery actually has a security malfunction that causes a big thermal occasion, it’s as a result of a dendrite shaped, and lithium-ion batteries present us with our best-case situation, our most steady system to forestall that from taking place — versus next-generation applied sciences like lithium-metal primarily based anodes and lithium-metal batteries. However a fact available in the market that we discuss typically is that it doesn’t matter what know-how we’re discussing, as quickly because it’s launched, regardless of how significantly better it really is, the market goes to push it to its most. They’re going to redline it. And that’s why it’s so essential, notably within the battery house, that new applied sciences are launched with a prioritization round security — as a result of one of these abuse, which shortly turns into regular is, you understand, going to be widespread, and that’s only a truth of the market and competitors.

“So, after I say at Iontra that we’re stabilizing the battery, we should always have mentioned it up entrance, however actually, security is implicit. […] Quick cost is basically the place you’re going to exacerbate dendrite development, and numerous the fabric developments — modification to the electrolyte or the limitations which are current between the anode and the cathode are supposed to make it tougher for dendrites to develop and to short-circuit the battery and trigger these thermal occasions. however a problem with an electrochemical resolution on the whole is that you find yourself introducing fixes that inherently restrict the efficiency. It’s by limiting the efficiency that numerous chemical options really forestall dendrite development. Mechanical limitations could be very efficient, however they’ll improve the resistance by the cell, and subsequently sluggish the charges of cost and discharge that the cell can really assist. So, usually occasions, options find yourself being at odds with some facet of the required efficiency of the system. And that’s the place we begin introducing the concept of electrodynamics.” That’s the place Iontra brings its software program and electrodynamics to the desk to forestall degradation, forestall dendrite development, forestall thermal runaway, and enhance security with out limiting efficiency.

Whereas the theme right here is enhancing the battery from exterior the battery, there are literally occasions when Iontra’s know-how is inside the battery pack, and different occasions when it’s not. Totally different functions require totally different options. Jeff Granato explains: “We’ve been working with numerous client electronics manufacturers and cell OEMs. We’ve been doing a little early EV work to supply us with indications that we’ll be capable to ship related efficiency, however insofar as the mixing of the know-how within the merchandise, it actually takes totally different varieties in several environments. For instance, considered one of our lead prospects is a number one energy device OEM, and the way in which it really works is, as a result of it has a removable battery, it winds up getting built-in into the charger that the battery will get plugged into. For a smartphone, it winds up going onto the battery pack itself. We’re working with the world’s largest battery provider for that market, and so they combine the cost controller proper into the battery pack that’s built-in into the smartphone. And, in an EV, the way in which that it will get built-in can be to get into the onboard charger, after which to even have elements on the pack in order that the communication latency is gonna work nicely, and we have now the power to regulate the pack with these two integration factors.”

Daniel then will get much more technical, if you wish to actually get into the nuts and bolts — or, I ought to say, the triangles and electrodynamics. For far more element and background, hearken to the entire episode!

You could find our CleanTech Discuss podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Overcast, Pocket, Podbean, Radio Public, SoundCloud, or Stitcher.