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Oh the irony, it burns. Public officers in Texas have been on a rant towards clear power investing, but the state is house to a rising variety of startups aimed toward pushing the oil business right into a sidebar of the worldwide economic system. The newest instance is the Austin startup Group1, which is launching a brand new potassium-based power storage system aimed toward supporting the excessive performing, lower-costing, and extra environmentally pleasant EV battery of the longer term.
A New Potassium EV Battery Rises, In Texas
Group1 crossed the CleanTechnica radar in 2022, shortly after the power storage innovator spun out of analysis performed within the laboratory of John Goodenough on the College of Texas at Austin. Goodenough, a Nobel Laureate, performed a number one function within the invention of lithium-ion battery expertise.
Group1 has been transferring alongside at a speedy clip over the previous two years. Final September, the startup obtained an funding of $250,000 from a $10 million UT seed fund, to assist speed up industrial manufacturing of the corporate’s new potassium system for EV batteries.
The seed fund is managed by the college’s Discovery to Influence crew, which is tasked with supporting startups that deploy mental property developed at UT.
“The investment will help Group1 increase its workforce, expand production capacity of its product potassium cathode material, Kristonite, to pilot scale, and forge business partnerships with Tier1 cell and automotive manufacturers that wish to establish a domestic, ‘lithium alternative’ solution,” UT defined in a press launch dated September 29, 2023.
One Potassium EV Battery To Rule Them All
Group1 has massive plans for the potassium EV battery of the longer term, and UT is there for it.
“Group1’s product, Kristonite, a 4V cathode material — Potassium Prussian White — enables KIBs [potassium-ion batteries] that can deliver faster charging with enhanced safety and higher energy density when compared with lithium iron phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries or sodium-ion batteries, making them the future of the energy industry,” the college enthused final yr.
“To date, Group1 has raised $7.5 million to bring KIB technology to market and is currently in the early phases of engagement with leading supply-chain partners and several of the largest and most reputable cell manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world,” they added.
No kidding. Along with an unique license from UT, in June of 2023, Group1 introduced one other licensing settlement with Sharp Company.
“This agreement grants Group1 exclusive rights to Sharp’s patent portfolio related to Potassium based cathode materials, enabling the next generation of sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective batteries,” the corporate defined.
“Potassium Prussian White (KPW), a focus of Group1 and part of the licensed portfolio, is a 4V cathode material and stands out for being free of critical minerals such as Lithium, Cobalt, and Nickel, enabling sustainable Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs),” they added, noting some great benefits of a provide chain virtually solely situated in North America.
Group1 additionally took the chance to emphasise that its new potassium system is engineered as a drop-in alternative, suitable with current lithium-ion EV battery manufacturing services.
All Eyes On The World’s First 18650 Potassium EV Battery Cell
Group1 embarked upon its potassium journey with a coin-cell format earlier than transferring on to pouch-type cells. Within the newest growth, earlier this month Group1 launched a cylindrical 18650 model, billed as the primary of its form on the planet.
“As part of this launch, Group1 is delivering samples to key Tier 1 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and cell manufacturers, marking a significant milestone in energy storage,” Group1 reported in a press launch dated August 1.
The corporate additionally took the chance to remind everybody that its new battery “enables the best combination of performance, safety, and cost when compared to LiFePO4 (LFP)-based LIBs and Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs).”
By way of cellular power storage, the 18650 format is a vital step. The cylindrical form was initially popularized for handheld units within the Nineties and it has loved a second life as the popular format for an EV battery cell (18650 refers back to the dimensions 18 millimeters in diameter by 65 millimeters lengthy).
What’s The Huge Deal About Potassium?
Lithium-ion batteries aren’t going away any time quickly, however supplying sufficient lithium for a lot of thousands and thousands of electrical autos over the approaching years is a gigantic enterprise fraught with the environmental impacts of lithium mining and brine evaporation.
Some impact-reducing options are starting to emerge, together with enhancements in EV battery recycling expertise and new brine extraction programs. The lengthy lifespan of up to date EV batteries will even assist relieve among the stress.
New battery supplies like potassium current one other strategy, which is to keep away from lithium solely and use an alternate provide chain. In distinction to lithium, potassium is an earth-abundant materials.
That’s not fairly so simple as it sounds. In 2021 the journal Nano Vitality printed a state-of-the-technology assessment noting that “the development of rechargeable potassium batteries is still in its infancy,” although the analysis crew additionally recommended pathways to clean the street in direction of commercialization.
By way of federal funding for EV battery R&D, potassium batteries haven’t been very excessive on the to-do checklist of the US Division of Vitality. Nonetheless, final yr the company did allocate virtually $2.6 million to the California startup Venture Okay in help of the agency’s potassium-ion EV battery, as a part of a $42 million funding pot aimed toward decreasing the price of EV batteries whereas enhancing efficiency.
Texas Startups Killing Oil Trade
As for Group1, CEO Alexander Girau makes no bones about his firm’s potential influence on transportation decarbonization.
“By distributing samples to our partners among Tier 1 OEMs and cell manufacturers, we are paving the way for widespread adoption of this transformative technology,” he defined in a press assertion.
In the meantime, preserve your eye on the Dallas department of the College of Texas, which is outwardly in competitors with the Austin department to see who can take credit score for the foundational analysis behind America’s subsequent high EV battery.
Final September, the US Division of Protection allotted $30 million in direction of the institution of a brand new power storage campus at UT-Dallas.
“The project will accelerate transition and scaling of next generation batteries, while reducing dependence on scarce critical materials,” the DOD explains, noting that the aggressive award was primarily based on the college’s potential to kind a consortium together with startups and established corporations together with different educational establishments and 4 nationwide laboratories below the umbrella of the Vitality Division.
The DOD expects the campus to help greater than $200 million in non-public capital, so keep tuned for extra on that.
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Photograph: The Texas startup Group1 is banking that the EV battery of the longer term will deploy potassium to chop prices, enhance efficiency, and shave down the environmental footprint of electrical autos (courtesy of Group1).
