24M Introduces Electrode-To-Pack Battery With No Particular person Cells Or Modules

24M is certainly one of many MIT spin-offs began by serial inventor and entrepreneur But-Ming Chiang. (One other is Elegant Methods, which has pioneered using low carbon cement that dramatically reduces the carbon emissions related to concrete.) In a press launch dated October 24, 2023, the corporate introduced it could unveil its new 24M Electrode To Pack system on the Japan Mobility Present that started October 26.

The outline supplied by the corporate sounds fairly revolutionary. “The 24M Electrode To Pack (ETOP) system is a streamlined battery pack system that options electrodes packaged immediately into the battery pack, eradicating the necessity for particular person cells and modules.”

24M Electrode To Pack System Benefits

Previous to 24M ETOP™, cell producers, automotive OEMs, and vitality storage integrators constructed battery packs and modules from particular person cells. Nevertheless, present lithium-ion battery cells have a big fraction of inactive, non-charge carrying supplies — supporting metals and plastics — inside a cell’s casing. These inactive supplies cut back module and vitality density and add pointless expense and waste. Enabled by the 24M Unit Cell design, the 24M ETOP™ know-how eliminates pointless cell supplies throughout the battery pack and permits producers to realize the very best vitality density out there on the pack degree whereas chopping prices, in keeping with the press launch.

“24M ETOP™ might be a game-changer for electrical mobility and vitality storage programs as a result of it delivers unmatched vitality density,” mentioned Naoki Ota, 24M President and CEO. “This modern new battery know-how is enabled by our Unit Cell know-how and is reflective of what’s but to return from 24M. We’re transferring past our core know-how — the 24M SemiSolid™ manufacturing platform — into an organization with a revolutionary know-how set that may ship really transformative options for a greater vitality future. 24M ETOP™ might be a recreation changer for electrical mobility and vitality storage programs as a result of it delivers unmatched vitality density.” [Nowhere in the press release does the company actually offer any technical details.]

24M Electrode To Pack Options

The 24M ETOP™ system delivers dramatic enhancements in a number of key areas:

• Efficiency — Obtain electrode (not cell) packing efficiencies of over 70%, the very best pack-level quantity utilization effectivity out there.
• Price — Along with its streamlined course of and decreased supplies utilization, it allows unit electrodes to be related in a mixture of sequence and parallel — an trade first. By eliminating extra connection parts, it additionally additional reduces the general pack value.
• Vary and Cycle Life — Increased packing efficiencies and vitality density present advantages for each EV and ESS functions, boosting vary and capability.
• Security — The 24M SemiSolid™ Electrode and Unit Cell know-how continues to supply unmatched security when subjected to mechanical abuse.
• Pack Design Flexibility — The 24M Unit Cell could be related in sequence, parallel and a mixture of sequence and parallel immediately inside a pack, enabling configurations which can be not sure or restricted by particular person cell voltage (V) and capability (Ah).

24M solutions the world’s want for inexpensive vitality storage, the corporate says, by providing a revolutionary battery manufacturing and product design platform, know-how set, and course of enabled by the 24M SemiSolid and Unit Cell manufacturing platform.

By re-inventing at the moment’s battery manufacturing strategies and product design, 24M solves the vital, many years previous problem related to the world’s most well-liked vitality storage merchandise and applied sciences — lowering their excessive value whereas enhancing their efficiency, security and recyclability. Based and led by a few of the battery trade’s foremost inventors, scientists and entrepreneurs, 24M is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

24M & Freyr Collaboration

24M is the successor to A123, one of many early leaders in lithium-ion battery know-how. In accordance with Enterprise Wire, 24M took a giant step in the direction of commercializing its semi-solid know-how when it introduced a licensing settlement with Norway’s Freyr in January, 2021. Freyr will produce 24M battery cells in its battery manufacturing unit in Mo i Rana to be used in automotive, maritime functions, and vitality storage. That manufacturing unit can have an annual capability of 45 GWh — not enormous, however not inconsequential both.

On its web site, Freyr says,”Our marketing strategy leverages a phased growth strategy using deep partnership-based methods, together with in-licensing of next-generation applied sciences and three way partnership partnerships of confirmed OEM platforms. This twin know-how technique allows responsive industrial scaling of battery cell capability in our modularized and versatile manufacturing services. [We] dedicated to being a reliable and dependable R&D associate driving steady enterprise course of innovation by collaboration.”

Volkswagen Group took a 25% stake in 24M in 2022. The strategic partnership secures the producer entry to 24M SemiSolid know-how for its next-gen lithium-ion batteries. In addition to Volkswagen and Freyr, 24M counts Kyocera, Itochu, GPSC, and Fujifilm amongst its purchasers and companions. In 2019, Kyocera started industrial manufacturing and gross sales of its Enerezza residence vitality storage product utilizing the 24M SemiSolid and Unit Cell know-how.

The corporate says proudly that it’s fixing the grand challenges for a greater vitality future by revolutionizing the lithium-ion cell manufacturing course of and platform. “We offer a less complicated, extra dependable, safer manufacturing course of that accelerates manufacturing whereas decreasing the prices of present and next-generation cell know-how for electrical mobility, aerospace, stationary energy, and lead-acid alternative alternatives.”

The Takeaway

We now have typically mentioned the batteries that may energy the way forward for clear vitality and clear transportation haven’t been invented but. The battery in an electrical automobile at the moment might be a relic destined for the Smithsonian Institute by the point the following decade rolls round. Prices will fall whereas vitality density rises, giving the electrical vehicles and vehicles of the longer term extra vary and extra energy, however at decrease value.

The primary gasoline engines have been crude affairs. It has taken over 100 years of growth to make them into the sturdy and environment friendly marvels they’re at the moment. The identical technological advances will occur with batteries as nicely.

I’m not a scientist, nor have I ever performed one on TV, however the description of the brand new 24M ETOP system, which is able to allow connecting batteries in sequence, in parallel, or each, sounds to my uneducated ear like a large step ahead, one that could be akin to the transformation that occurred in electronics when the transistor first appeared in shopper merchandise.

Is that too dramatic? Probably, however then once more, perhaps not. There are dozens of claims about revolutionary battery breakthroughs that pour into the CleanTechnica newsroom each day. A few of them are vaporware; some sound good on paper however by no means make it out of the laboratory and into industrial manufacturing. This announcement from 24M has the texture of an precise breakthrough, one that may lead the realms of electrical transportation and vitality storage in an entire new route.

Ought to we mark at the moment as a turning level in battery know-how? “We’ll see,” mentioned the Zen grasp.