Transportation

Ampcera will develop an all-climate thermally modulated solid-state battery (TMSSB) incorporating a thermally modulated cell technology (TMCT), developed by partner EC Power. “Heatable” solid-state batteries (SSBs) have the potential to provide disruptively high energy density and enable ultra-safe fast charging in EVs during cold weather, overcoming many of the consumer acceptance barriers hindering widespread adoption. Ampcera’s TMSSB combines a high-capacity silicon anode and a high-voltage, nickel-rich oxide-based cathode to enable a specific energy exceeding 400 Wh/kg.

Solid Power will develop high-energy, fast-charging, long-life, low-cost, and safe Li metal all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) for electric vehicles applications. Solid Power’s design includes a 3D-structured lithium (Li) metal anode and novel sulfur (S) composite cathode to enable such electric vehicle battery cells. Their advanced solid-state electrolyte will enable the Li metal anode and S cathode while overcoming the primary challenges for conventional lithium-sulfur chemistry.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) will develop fundamentally disruptive electric vehicle (EV) batteries that combine cobalt- and nickel-free cathodes, electrolytes that enable fast-charging and all-weather operation, and coal-derived, high-capacity anodes. The Virginia Tech team will use theoretical modeling and advanced materials and cell characterization techniques to guide the system-level integration of battery components.

Zeta Energy will address the main limitations of conventional lithium-sulfur batteries with an innovative battery design, overcoming the challenges of dendrite formation and polysulfide shuttle. Zeta Energy’s battery design features a three-dimensional lithium (Li) metal anode architecture and class of sulfurized carbon (SC) cathodes to produce stable and safe devices. Zeta Energy will build on these innovations to create a new anode with a high Li content that is also highly accessible and rechargeable and avoids dangerous Li dendrite formation.

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) will develop a holistic safety framework, combining material level to cell level testing and mechanistic modeling to evaluate the safety of next-generation battery systems. The framework will facilitate a bottom-up understanding of battery safety, enabling battery developers to de-risk promising chemistries from a safety perspective, reduce design iterations, and develop battery systems with a rigorous safety basis.

The University of Maryland (UMD) will increase the charge/discharge-rate capability, energy density, and operating temperature window of solid-state lithium metal batteries.

Tyfast Energy will develop a High sYmmetric PowER (HYPER) Battery that leverages a novel oxide-based anode and high conductivity electrolyte that has been demonstrated to perform well over a wide temperature range. This new HYPER combination of electrode material and electrolyte chemistry will enable a high-energy density, < 6 minutes ultrafast-charging battery with > 3,000 cycle life.

The Ohio State University will develop a high-power battery technology featuring a high entropy oxide (HEO) anode that can tolerate rapid charging while demonstrating longevity far beyond the current state-of-the-art lithium-ion cells. Ohio State will (1) address manufacturing challenges in achieving large-format, commercial-quality cells, (2) enable drop-in compatibility with existing battery components, and (3) optimize battery performance for cold temperatures.

Boeing Research & Technology aims to develop a comprehensive solution for ultra-high performance turbine blades and other extreme environment aerospace applications. The team will develop a series of novel refractory complex concentrated alloys (RCCA) and their processing parameters for both laser beam powder-bed-fusion/powder-feed-deposition additive manufacturing and advanced powder metallurgy manufacturing, as well as intermediate layer materials optimized for coating solutions.

Parallel Systems is developing a highly scalable system of rechargeable electric rail vehicles to enable existing railroads to economically serve the short-haul market. This system will include all associated software including vehicle control, dispatch software, fleet management, and terminal operations. These independent rail cars would simplify terminal operations, enabling significantly more competitive services at congested ports, and unlock the construction of smaller inland terminals leading to more resilient freight infrastructure.