Low-Cost, High Areal Capacity, Anode-Free Sodium-Metal Batteries Enabled by Solid Electrolytes

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Program:
EVs4ALL
Award:
$3,198,085
Location:
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Status:
ACTIVE
Project Term:
05/25/2023 - 05/24/2026
Website:

Critical Need:

The transportation sector is responsible for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., with road-based passenger vehicles accounting for 57% of those emissions. Cars, sport utility vehicles, minivans, and pick-up trucks emit more than one billion tons of CO2 domestically per year. As the U.S. works to decarbonize the transportation sector and increase production of “clean” (zero emission) electricity, electric vehicles (EVs) are compelling alternatives to vehicles with internal combustion engines. The key to EV adoption is a reliable, inexpensive battery that can charge fast and provide improved performance and range retention in cold weather compared to state-of-the-art commercial options.

Project Innovation + Advantages:

24M Technologies will develop low-cost and fast-charging sodium metal EV batteries with good low-temperature performance. 24M’s cell design will incorporate (1) its ultra-thick SemiSolid cathode made up of cobalt-free and nickel-free sodium-based active materials, (2) a wide-temperature, fast-charging electrolyte developed using machine learning and automated high-throughput screening technology, and (3) a solid-state electrolyte-based separator to enable a high-energy density, anode-free configuration. The SemiSolid electrode architecture has been commercially demonstrated with exceptionally high energy density using lithium-ion chemistry. Applying it to sodium-ion chemistry with relatively higher conductivities and high mechanical strength NASICON solid-state film will pave the way for improved low-temperature performance retentions, fast-charging, high-energy density, and reduced cost.

Potential Impact:

EVs4ALL’s primary objective is to increase the domestic adoption of new and used EVs by enabling safe, resilient, fast-charging batteries with improved performance at low temperatures.

Security:

Solutions will target the use of “noncritical” battery materials, while minimizing the use of cobalt and nickel. A reduced dependence on the importation of critical metals supports U.S. energy independence.

Environment:

80% adoption of EVs in the U.S. could reduce overall CO2 emissions by 800 million tons/year.

Economy:

80% adoption of EVs in the U.S. could reduce annual energy consumption by 4 quadrillion British Thermal Units.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Halle Cheeseman
Project Contact:
Dr. Junzheng Chen
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
jchen@24-m.com

Partners

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University

Related Projects

• 24M Technologies - Low-Cost, High Areal Capacity, Anode-Free Sodium-Metal Batteries Enabled by Solid Electrolytes
• Ampcera - Thermally Modulated Solid-State Batteries for Ultra-Safe Fast-Charging Electric Vehicles
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) - Evaluating the Safety of Next-generation Energy Storage Cells
• Project K Energy - Optimizing a Potassium-ion Electrolyte for Revolutionary Automotive Batteries
• Sandia National Laboratories - Framework for Safety Evaluation of EVs4ALL Batteries
• Solid Power - High Energy Fast Charging All-Solid-State Batteries
• South 8 Technologies - Liquefied Gas Electrolytes for Next-Gen EV Batteries
• The Ohio State University - Extreme Fast Charging Batteries with Extended Cycle Life for EVs
• Tyfast Energy - High SYmmetric PowER (HYPER) Battery
• University of Maryland (UMD) - Fast-Charge, High-Energy-Density, Solid-State Battery
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) - Fast-Charging, Wide-Temperature, Low-Cost, Durable Batteries Enabled by Cobalt- and Nickel-Free Cathodes and Cell Engineering
• Zeta Energy - Enabling Fast Charging Batteries with 3D Lithium Metal Architectures and Sulfurized Carbon Cathodes

Release Date:
05/03/2022