A123 Systems has worked with buffering chemistries to reduce the volatility of lithium batteries for the last decade. Solid Power Inc. has taken a set of interesting new technologies to make batteries more energy dense and safer. The two companies are combining efforts to make a more powerful, less-volatile battery, according to recent press releases. A123 produces nanophosphate (lithium iron phosphate – LiFePO4) and ultraphosphate batteries. Their nanophosphate batteries are used in Porsche’s 919 hybrid, a LeMans Prototype (LMP1) endurance racer that was outright winner of the event this year. They also power Eva Hakansson’s Killajoule and Bill Dube’s Killacycle – both record-holding electric motorcycles. Their Ultraphosphate line is designed to work at low voltages and low temperatures, including 48-Volt mild hybrid applications. Solid Power, a startup based on research done at University of Colorado Boulder, combines (“an exceptionally”) high-capacity cathode with a high-capacity lithium metal anode and a high ionic capacity solid separator. This combination produces, according to …
