Innolith reaches commercialisation point with promise to increase EV performance, cut cost, and provide green alternative to li-ion battery.
Innolith, a European developer of Li-ion battery cell technologies, announces the commercialisation of its I-State battery technology platform for use in electric vehicles (EVs) and e-mobility applications.
Using an entirely new battery chemistry, I-State will cut EV costs and increase vehicle range through a high energy density of 300 Wh/kg (NMC811/Graphite) while improving both safety and performance. This is made possible through its high voltage, high conductivity, non-flammable electrolyte that also enables an improved temperature range of -40o to +60o.
Innolith’s I-State platform is well suited for applications that require both high energy and high power. This is achievable due to the electrolyte’s exceptionally high conductivity, up to four times that of conventional Li-ion electrolytes. This combination of high power, high energy and improved safety means the I-State platform is able to offer a significant improvement over conventional Li-ion and is suitable for the most demanding applications.
The I-State platform has been developed by Innolith, the only European inorganic lithium battery research & development company, and will be manufactured through licensing partnerships with automotive, industrial and battery companies with further details to be announced.
To support its ongoing licensing negotiations, the company has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with five customers for a production requirement of 100 MWh per year.
The MOUs are for applications across the off-road, aviation and mining sectors, and include an agreement with Xerotech, a leader in battery pack technology for heavy-duty non-road mobile machinery, to develop battery packs for the electrification of a wide range of applications. In the automotive sector, Innolith is working closely with three of the 10 largest car companies and has recently signed an MOU with one of the leading EV manufacturers.
The I-State cells use an entirely new battery technology based on an innovative liquid inorganic electrolyte that can operate at higher voltages than traditional Li-ion battery cells. The higher voltage of the cells enables higher utilization of cathode capacity through usage of nearly 100% of available Lithium vs 80% for Li-ion, over many stable cycles, and at high charge and discharge rates.
The I-State higher voltage enables a significant reduction of cathode metals used in the cell, helping EV manufacturers to cut costs and produce vehicles that are closer to the cost of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. The 20% reduction of lithium, cobalt and nickel will help alleviate environmental and sourcing concerns, while typically reducing the weight of an EV battery pack by 7% to 8%.
Innolith further announces that I-State enables stable cycling of Manganese containing cathodes with reduced content of expensive Nickel. The company is developing LMR (Mn-rich NMC) and LNMO chemistries jointly with several large and well-known partners in the market.
Additionally, Innolith further announces that new technologies based on the I-State platform are in development to provide for both increased EV range with 350-400 Wh/kg energy densities, and for lower-cost EVs with lower CO2 footprint due to reduced use of expensive green metals versus existing commercial cells in the market.
To complete a full range of technology development options, I-State is proven as a platform for development of LFMP and Na-based cells, where the first patent applications have been made by Innolith already in 2020-2022.
Konstantin Solodovnikov, CEO of Innolith said:
The world needs better batteries to drive the transition to a greener economy for environmental, energy security and economic efficiency reasons.
“Conventional Li-ion has served us well for 40 years but has well known limitations for the future. I-State goes further, costs less and is environmentally more sustainable. This new technology will provide the EV battery for the next step in the world’s transition to renewable energy. With future innovations in technology in our labs, we will be delivering even higher levels of energy density and other improved performance parameters in the near future.”
Background on I-State Technology
The new I-State battery technology follows multiple years of intensive research leading to the discovery in 2019 of Innolith’s proprietary high-voltage electrolyte. The cells will be manufactured at lower cost to Li-ion, using state-of-the-art raw materials, production processes and equipment to deliver affordable high-energy batteries.
The Innolith I-State technology meets the charge, discharge and cycle life requirements of the major EV manufacturers and has been evaluated by leading testing and validation organisations as well as multiple automotive and battery OEMs and end-user companies across a number of industries. In addition to its use for EVs, Innolith will be marketing its I-State technology for applications in aviation, construction, mining, marine, rail and industrial sectors.
The Innolith battery cell technology is based on the proprietary liquid inorganic electrolyte that can operate at up to 5 volts without degradation, unlike the Li-ion batteries in use today that are limited to 4.2 volts. This gives the batteries higher gravimetric energy density of 300 Wh/kg and volumetric energy density of 825 Wh/L.
In addition to a high energy cell, Innolith has recently developed a high power cell on the same I-State platform. Development of the high-power cell that still retains exceptional energy density was possible due to the high conductivity of the I-State electrolyte (up to four times that of conventional Li-ion electrolyte).
About Innolith
Innolith is a battery technology company, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, that develops battery cell technology for electric vehicles and other e-mobility applications. Innolith runs one of the world’s leading battery cell research programs at its R&D Center in Bruchsal, Germany, where it is pioneering a next generation e-mobility battery technology based on a proprietary electrolyte that delivers cells with lower cost, high energy density along with higher safety and temperature performance.
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INNOLITH REACHES COMMERCIALISATION POINT WITH PROMISE TO INCREASE EV PERFORMANCE, CUT COST, AND PROVIDE GREEN ALTERNATIVE TO LI-ION, June 13, 2023
