The US startup 24M wants to bring in 2020 more powerful and cost-saving batteries on the market. This should make electric cars cheaper and smartphones more enduring.
Batteries, not only for smartphones
Powerful batteries are not only for smartphones, but also for electric cars of crucial importance. BMW had promised in May 2017, thanks to new battery technology Stromer from 2020 to offer a price similar to vehicles with internal combustion engine. Now, the US startup 24M has announced that it will launch the first of its cost-saving rechargeable batteries in 2020.
For almost ten years, 24M has been working to produce cheaper and better batteries with higher energy density. The aim is to simplify the design of lithium-ion batteries and remove inactive materials, as Technology Review writes. This makes it possible to shorten the manufacturing process and reduce the need for materials with positive effects on costs and energy requirements.
How the market is going
Now the developers seem to have made a breakthrough. A few weeks ago, 24M attracted $ 21.8 million in financing from Japanese companies Kyocera and Itochu, as well as existing $ 21.8 million investors. The money will be invested in a factory for further research. The planned cooperation with an industrial partner should enable the production of the first products from 2020 onwards.
The Small and nimble Cityhopper E-Up has a price of over 25,000 euros. It costs a lot more than the starting price of a normal up. With an 82-horsepower engine, the car is also equipped more powerful, but for a microcar, the price remains extremely steep.
Current high-quality rechargeable batteries have an energy density of around 250 watt-hours per kilogram. The 24M batteries are said to have reached an energy density of 280 to 300 watt hours per kilogram in the laboratory. A new technology will soon enable lithium-ion batteries with around 500 watt-hours per kilogram. For this, according to the report, however, one more decisive component, the separator, would have to be downsized.