LiFePO4 Info

36 MWh Lithium Iron Phosphate Grid Storage Battery Launched in China

LiFePO4-info.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:59:37 +0000

BYD and the State Grid Corporation of China announced the launch of what may be the largest grid battery storage facility in the world. Located in Zhangbei, Hebei Province, the 36 Megawatt-hour LiFePO4 battery array consumes an area larger than a football field. The installation incorporates smart transmission technologies that couple to the grid as well as 100 MW of wind generation and 40 MW of solar generation.

According to the press release: “SGCC chose BYD’s Iron-Phosphate battery technology because of its superior service life (over 20 years) and also used BYD’s “peak shaving & load leveling” charge and discharge methodologies.” These benefits are expected to result in a 5-10% improvement in renewable energy efficiency.

As earthtechling points out: other Megawatt scale LiFePO4 grid storage battery installations have already been launched in China, now the world’s largest electricity consumer, as a part of China’s goal to become a leader in clean-energy technologies.

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Süd-Chemie and LG Chem Seek Faster Market Penetration of Lithium Iron Phosphate in Joint Manufacturing Venture

LiFePO4-info.com — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:28:15 +0000

A recently announced joint venture pairs Lithium Iron Phosphate materials manufacturer Süd-Chemie with Korea’s largest battery and chemical manufacturer, LG Chem to develop high-volume production of LiFePO4 materials. Through the partnership, Phostech Lithium gains a customer base and LG Chem gains access to LiFePO4 materials.

Süd-Chemie is expanding their batteries material business primarily through the new site of its Canadian subsidiary, Phostech Lithium Inc. Phostech Lithium was formerly the exclusive licensee of the original Goodenough/University of Texas/Hydro-Québec/Université de Montréal/CNRS patent portfolio for Lithium Iron Phosphate materials. The licensing of these materials is now now administered by LiFePO4+C Licensing AG, a Swiss company formed for this purpose. LG Chem joins a list of licensees including Japanese companies Sony Corporation, Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co. Ltd. and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. and Taiwanese companies Tatung Fine Chemicals Co. and Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry (Cayman) Co., Ltd (ALEEES).

According to the press release, “It is the mutual objective to improve LFP by combining process technology of LG Chem and manufacturing technology of Süd-Chemie, which fosters the growth of the market for lithium-ion batteries and the use of LFP especially for applications demanding very long life.” LG Chem is targeting rapid growth in on-site energy storage, and electric and hybrid automobile drives markets. LG Chem is currently the battery supplier for GM’s Chevy Volt, based on Lithium Metal Oxide cathode technology, which has recently raised some safety concerns despite their extensive safety measures. The inclusion of inherently safer LiFePO4 materials to their offerings appears a strategically sound move by LG Chem.

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World’s largest LiFePO4 Battery Manufacturing Facility Launched in Russia

LiFePO4-info.com — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:37:14 +0000

A joint venture between the Chinese holding company Thundersky and the Russian RUSNANO called Liotech has just announced the launch of a 430,000 sq ft facility capable of producing 1 GWh or approximately one million Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries per year. The facility, located in Novosibirsk was built in a very quick 9 months. The plant will manufacture large prismatic LiFePO4 cells with “nanostructured” cathode materials. The cells have the same yellow ribbed appearance as the well-known Thundersky brand cells. Liotech boast that it already has production contracts and, according to Liotech CEO Alexander Erokhin, is “seeing interest in our storage batteries from Russian Railways, the Moscow Metro, electric power networks and power generating companies, businesses in the military industrial complex, the public utilities sector, and telecommunications companies.”

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Settlement Reached in Lawsuit over LiFePO4 between A123 Systems, Hydro-Quebec, and the University of Texas

LiFePO4-info.com — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:37:46 +0000

According to a recent press release, A123 Systems has reached a settlement agreement with Hydro-Quebec and the University of Texas System in the lawsuit that had been pending in Texas federal courts. The agreement is being touted as a win-win for all parties. Through the settlement agreement and related patent sublicense agreement, A123 will become a licensee and gain access to the patented technology now handled by the alliance LiFePO4+C Licensing AG. LiFePO4+C Licensing AG was formed as a Swiss entity by Hydro-Quebec, Süd-Chemie, Universite de Montreal and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) to promote and license lithium metal phosphate technologies including the patents at the heart of the lawsuit. As a part of the agreement A123 is granting LiFePO4+C Licensing AG rights to two recent battery material patents from A123.

More information on MarketWatch, Boston Business Journal, and A123 press release.

Dave Vieau, CEO of A123 Systems: “We believe this agreement represents a win-win for the entire industry by paving the way for faster adoption.”

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Aleees claims new technology increases LiFePO4 battery cycle life 2.7 times

LiFePO4-info.com — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:57:36 +0000

At a recent invited presentation at the 220th Electrochemical Society (ECS) meeting held in Boston, United States, the Taiwanese company Advanced Lithium Electrochemistry Co., Ltd. (Aleees) announced a new innovation claimed to increase cycle life from 2000 to 5400 cycles for Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries, while still maintaining 80% capacity. A double-layer nano-carbon coating allows olivine cathode material to be coated with different carbon compounds. Because thicknesses less than 5 nm can be achieved, the structural integrity of the material is significantly improved resulting in the dramatic increase in cycle life. More information about Aleees innovations here.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Announces Licensing Agreement With Xerion Advanced Battery Corp

LiFePO4-info.com — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:02:09 +0000

In an previous article, LiFePO4-info.com wrote about research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which could drastically improve charge/discharge rates for batteries. Yesterday the university announced it has entered into a licensing agreement with Xerion Advance Battery Corp giving Xerion exclusive rights to bring the technology to market.

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Sony in Talks with Automakers to Provide Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries for EVs

LiFePO4-info.com — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:29:19 +0000

As reported on Green Car Congress and engadget, Sony is considering expanding their lithium iron phosphate battery module business to electric and hybrid vehicle applications. Sony currently markets 51.2V 1.2 kWh LiFePO4 battery modules as ”a backup power source or for load-leveling during peak electricity period” with over 10 year lifespans for applications such as data servers, mobile phone reception towers, EV recharging stations, and residential use. The Sony press release from early 2011 about their LiFePO4 modules highlights many of the inherent advantages of LiFePO4 over competing lithium battery types including safety, longevity and environmental friendliness.

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Kriss Motors White Paper Reviews Status of LiFePO4 Battery Production in China

LiFePO4-info.com — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:44:07 +0000

Eric Kriss of Kriss Motors has published an extensive commentary on the state of Lithium Iron Phosphate battery production in China. The paper touches on the recent news of legal battles surrounding Winston Chung, referred to as the “father of the Chinese LiFePO4 industry”, as well as the relationships between Sky Energy Company, Thundersky, CALB, International Battery, New Energy Company, Sinopoly Battery, Balqon, Winston Battery and others. Production capacity and cost estimates are developed based on survey of public information. In addition, the appendices available here include 230 pages documents, illustrations and data sheets for several large format prismatic cells.

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French Researcher Michael Armand Characterizes LiFePO4 as the only Cathode Safe Enough for EVs

LiFePO4-info.com — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:24:23 +0000

GM Battery manufactured in Michigan

The French paper Le Monde has published a number of articles about the safety of Lithium Ion batteries with respect to electric and hybrid vehicles: Le Monde Aritcle 1, Le Monde Article 2. They cite the concerns publicly raised by director of research at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CRNS) Michael Armand regarding the safety of the batteries being put on the market by automobile manufacturers such as GM and Renault (Nissan). Mr. Armand, who contributed to the development of Lithium Iron Phosphate technology along with inventor John Goodenough, is quoted as saying it is his “duty to science to express” his concern. Armand estimates that “a probability of failure of the batteries of the order of 1 in 10,000″ with potentially lethal effects due to the emission of harmful gases created by the electrolyte in the event of fire or explosion. He proposes that LiFePO4, despite its lower energy density, is the only lithium battery safe enough for automobile applications.

Another article in Le Monde discusses that intellectual property rights play a significant role in the choice for auto manufacturers.

This is a subject of great interest at LiFePO4-info.com. Automakers such as GM and Renault (Nissan) have elected to use Lithium Manganese Oxide batteries in their vehicles. MIT’s technology review (with admitted ties to A123) notes that GM’s decision to go with LG Chem (LiMnO2) and not A123 (LiFePO4) may have come down to the readiness of manufacturing capabilities and costs more than safety and performance of the cells. While LG Chem and other LiMnO2-based battery manufacturers take care to improve the safety of the cells through novel separator design and careful battery thermal and electrical management systems, the fact remains that Lithium-Metal-Phosphate compounds are inherently much more stable than the Lithium-Metal-Oxides. In addition, LiFePO4 are renowned for having a much longer useful lifetime (number of charge/discharge cycles) than the other Lithium chemistries.

Co-inventor of LiFePO4 Christian Masquelier points out that the primary hurdle facing LiFePO4 is its energy density because LiFePO4 generates around 3.2-3.3 V per cell versus 3.6-3.7 V per cell for metal-oxide cathodes.

Clearly, the debate has many facets: energy density, power density, charging times, safety, cell costs, lifetime, intellectual property, manufacturing maturity, costs of battery management systems, etc. LiFePO4 does not win in all categories, but certainly has key advantages in safety and lifetime. The stakes are extremely high. One catastrophic battery failure threatens to dramatically alter the landscape of lithium-battery-powered vehicles. It will be interesting to see how the industry continues to address these challenges.

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All-Electric Porsche Boxter-E Uses Lithium-Iron-Phosphate

LiFePO4-info.com — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:32:52 +0000

At the 2011 Michelin Challenge Bibendum, an annual event promoting the development of sustainable mobility, Porshe released details about the specifications of its mini-fleet of all-electric Boxter-E prototypes that are currently undergoing on-road testing. Three prototypes, each sporting a unique powertrain configuration, are currently being evaluated as a part of the “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart”, a government-sponsored program in Germany to gather data on real-world usage patterns and practicality of electric cars.

All three models are outfitted with Lithium Iron Phosphate battery packs. The battery packs, comprise 440 20Ah cells for a total name-plate capacity of 29kWh. The packs are good for over 100 miles range in rear-wheel-drive prototypes. The all-wheel-drive prototype that uses two independent motors (one front and one rear) is rated at double the power (180 kW/241 HP) of the rear-wheel-drive cars, so range is affected by the weight of the driver’s right foot. The 750 lb battery packs are good for up to 240 kW power delivery, well above what the motors can draw in all configurations. In all-wheel drive configuration, 0-100 kph (62 mph) acceleration is accomplished in 5.5 seconds, compared to a more run-of-the-mill 9.8 seconds for the single-motor rear-drive versions. If the motors were increased to match the battery pack maximum power (240 kW/322 HP), power output would rival the standard 310 HP IC-engine powered Boxter (0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds, approx 3000 lbs) but the 3500 lb all-electric would have a weight disadvantage. It would make for a good race however, given the broader torque band of the electric motors.

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