Three chemical elements pry the future of electric cars

"NMC" may be a key factor in reducing the cost of lithium-ion batteries and the future of electric vehicles. NMC nickel, manganese and cobalt compounds, these three elements are important components of electric vehicle batteries. They are combined into a complex lattice structure, forming the positive electrode of the battery, the accumulation of lithium ions, and completing the energy supply.

Today, scientists around the world are looking for the best combination of these three materials to achieve a performance slam with lower cost, lighter weight, faster charging, and higher safety. Analysts show that the next round of technological changes in NMC will affect the take-off of electric vehicles. Goal: Electric cars beat the high prices of traditional gasoline cars and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

James Frith, head of energy storage at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said: "In recent years, cost reductions have been a change in the NMC."

Haresh Kamath, senior project manager of the Electric Power Research Institute, said, "Most in-vehicle batteries are a combination of these three elements, with the exception of Sera, which applied for a patent for advanced NMC batteries late last year.

The next-generation electric vehicle battery, referred to as NMC 811, combines eight nickel elements with one manganese and cobalt element, which will rely more on nickel.

Fries said: "The NMC 811 battery technology is in a leading position in China and is expected to be available this year. The true time to enter the global market is expected to be 2021-2022."

Following the footsteps of two U.S. scientists, the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory and universities are chasing research on automotive batteries, and they shared the 2019 Nobel Chemistry Prize (Energywire, 2019 10 16th).

In the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories and universities, research on automotive batteries has followed in the footsteps of two American scientists who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing lithium-ion technology (Energywire, October 16, 2019).

Analysts said that Trump's opposition was not conducive to the competitive development of advanced NMC batteries.

Senior members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senators R-Alaska and De.Va., have recently proposed the US Energy Innovation Act and set up a technology transformation department to conduct research, development and commercial applications of advanced automotive manufacturing technologies (" E & E Daily, February 27).

"Climate and Environmental Action for the Future of the Country" initiated by the House Energy and Business Committee Chairman, invests $ 25 billion over 10 years to guide the Minister of Energy to accelerate domestic battery and other electric vehicle technology production (E & E Daily News) , February 26).

The three elements of NMC are quite different. Among them, cobalt is expensive and the largest source is from Congo. The manganese content is rich and plays a supporting and stable role. Nickel is the most precious. If the nickel content is too high, poor control will cause fire. Therefore, the NMC 811 design has risks .

The first batch of NMC 111 batteries ten years ago were formed into equal amounts. The most common now is NMC 622, which means that the ratio of manganese to cobalt is six to two.

Accumulation of research and manufacturing experience, the role of nickel has advanced, and has helped the battery cost steadily decrease from $ 1,100 / kWh a decade ago, to $ 156 / kWh last year. Compared with gasoline-powered cars, the battery pack price of electric cars must be $ 100 / kWh for the two to reach parity. It is forecasted to approach that price by 2023.

Whether the current mix or change of NMC reaches this price based on high output and rich experience is yet to be determined.

"The mix of NMC 811 forms the best combination of energy density and cost, and it's a more dangerous combination," Camas said.

"As the number of combinations rises to 811, the risk of thermal runaway increases, and batteries tend to ignite, requiring more comprehensive controls. Last year, several electric vehicles in China adopted high nickel cathode chemistry Substance, the main producer is Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., which cooperates with BMW, Honda and Hyundai. South Korea's SK Innovation has the highest 811 voice, claiming that all factories can produce 811 last year, but not received Confirm. "

Fries said, "The control of nickel has always been a persistent journey, it is sensitive to moisture and temperature changes, and it needs to be carefully designed and manufactured."

Some analysts say the lead in battery development in China may be related to lower consumer lawsuits.

Jason Croy, a materials scientist who led a team of 50 scientists who spent two years studying cobalt at the Department of Energy's Agung National Laboratory, said, "Preventing nickel-rich batteries from overheating and catching fire is a top priority. The element is in The increase in the share of the mixture has eroded the stability of the cathode surface. Considering the atomic structure of the NMC and trying to predict which elements or strategies are most useful when dealing with surface failures, hope that progress can be made. "

As electric vehicles prosper, the supply of lithium and graphite as key components of batteries will also become scarce (Energywire, October 30, 2019).

But the biggest supply challenge is still cobalt. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit) said, "Cobalt is affected by the political stability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the development of resources in other regions is more difficult. Materials are available, but prices are a problem. . "

Three chemical elements pry the future of electric cars

"We are developing the next generation of NMCs, with a focus on drastically reducing or completely eliminating cobalt, and by the time the electric vehicle market is really taking off in 2025, nickel supply may be a problem, demanding the supply of specific nickel ore," Croy said.

Lithium-ion batteries are very complicated internally. Newly developed batteries need to take a lot of time to be tested and approved by the car company. If it is applied to the next-generation car, it may take five to six years. Article source network

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