The history, and future, of batteries How Much Would the Storage Market Change if Batteries Were One-Sixth the Current Price?
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/06/10-biggest-electric-car-battery-manufacturers-are/ 10 Biggest Electric Car Battery Manufacturers Are… May 6th, 2015 by James Ayre Top 10 EV Battery ManufacturersThose interested in tracking the state of the electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing market will likely be interested in taking a look at the chart and table below — which provide a fair amount of data on the market as pertaining to consumer electric car batteries (not pertaining to “heavy duty” vehicles such as buses, or to energy storage systems). And a big thanks to José Pontes for the numbers. [horzontal bar chart break down] Source: EV Obsession Get the data Battery Manufacturer 1st Quarter 2015 (MWh) 2014 (MWh) % of 1Q 2015 Top 10 % of 2014 Top 10 Panasonic 888 2726 45% 41% AESC 361 1620 18% 24% BYD 196 461 10% 7% Mitsu./GS Yuasa 135 451 7% 7% LG Chem 114 886 6% 13% Samsung 105 314 5% 5% Wanxiang 62 0 3% 0% Beijing (BPP) 47 121 2% 2% Tianneng 38 77 2% 1% SB LiMotive 37 0 2% 0% Total 1983 6656 100% 100% As you can see, Panasonic continues to dominate the market — with Tesla’s strong showing being a major factor. The company supplies Volkswagen as well, though, it should be remembered — giving it some growth potential beyond the Tesla association. The joint venture between Nissan Motors and NEC, AESC, is continuing on its long dive (down nearly 20% of top 10 market share in just 3 years). Considering that Nissan will be sourcing batteries from LG Chem in the future, this dive is set to continue. BYD is continuing to do well — and it should be noted here that these figures don’t even factor in the company’s electric buses or its energy storage solutions (which are considerable). BYD’s market share is especially thanks to the top-selling Qin EV, but also its many other market offerings. The rest of the list (again, coming to us via the EV Sales blog) is about what you’d expect — a slow loss of top 10 market share mostly, with the exception of LG Chem and Samsung, which are providing the batteries for the Chevy Volt and some of BMW’s electric offerings, respectively. Some of the small companies further down the list have managed to gain some market share as well, though. Wanxiang managed to climb to number 7 (up from number 11 in 2014) with a top 10 market share increase of 2% thanks to the success of the Zotye E20, etc. [© cleantechnica.com] ... http://evobsession.com/top-ev-battery-manufacturers-2014-top-10-sales/ Top EV Battery Manufacturers — 2014 Top 10 In Sales http://www.techcentral.co.za/the-history-and-future-of-batteries/56305/ The history, and future, of batteries 30 April 2015 [image http://www.techcentral.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/how-batteries-work-640.jpg (diagram) ] Batteries are so ubiquitous today that they’re almost invisible to us. Yet they are a remarkable invention with a long and storied history, and an equally exciting future. A battery is essentially a device that stores chemical energy that is converted into electricity. Basically, batteries are small chemical reactors, with the reaction producing energetic electrons, ready to flow through the external device. Batteries have been with us for a long time. In 1938, the director of the Baghdad Museum found what is now referred to as the “Baghdad Battery” in the basement of the museum. Analysis dated it at around 250BC and of Mesopotamian origin. Controversy surrounds this earliest example of a battery, but suggested uses include electroplating, pain relief or a religious tingle. American scientist and inventor Benjamin Franklin first used the term “battery” in 1749 when he was doing experiments with electricity using a set of linked capacitors. The first true battery was invented by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta in 1800. Volta stacked discs of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) separated by cloth soaked in salty water. Wires connected to either end of the stack produced a continuous stable current. Each cell (a set of a Cu and a Zn disc and the brine) produces 0,76V. A multiple of this value is obtained given by the number of cells that are stacked together. One of the most enduring batteries, the lead-acid battery, was invented in 1859 and is still the technology used to start most internal combustion engine cars today. It is the oldest example of a rechargeable battery. Today, batteries come in a range of sizes from large megawatt sizes, which store the power from solar farms or substations to guarantee stable supply in entire villages or islands, down to tiny batteries like those used in electronic watches. Batteries are based on different chemistries, which generate basic cell voltages typically in the 1V to 3,6V range. The stacking of the cells in series increases the voltage, while their connection in parallel enhances the supply of current. This principle is used to add up to the required voltages and currents, all the way to the negawatt sizes. There is now much anticipation that battery technology is about to take another leap with new models being developed with enough capacity to store the power generated with domestic solar or wind systems and then power a home at more convenient (generally night) time for a few days. How do batteries work? When a battery is discharged, the chemical reaction produces some extra electrons as the reaction occurs. An example of a reaction that produces electrons is the oxidation of iron to produce rust. Iron reacts with oxygen and gives up electrons to the oxygen to produce iron oxide. The standard construction of a battery is to use two metals or compounds with different chemical potentials and separate them with a porous insulator. The chemical potential is the energy stored in the atoms and bonds of the compounds, which is then imparted to the moving electrons, when these are allowed to move through the connected external device. A conducting fluid such as salt and water is used to transfer soluble ions from one metal to the other during the reaction and is called the electrolyte. The metal or compound that loses the electrons during discharge is called the anode and the metal or compound that accepts the electrons is called the cathode. This flow of electrons from the anode to the cathode through the external connection is what we use to run our electronic devices. When the reaction that produces the flow of electrons cannot be reversed, the battery is referred to as a primary battery. When one of the reactants is consumed, the battery is flat. The most common primary battery is the zinc-carbon battery. It was found that when the electrolyte is an alkali, the batteries lasted much longer. These are the alkali batteries we buy from the supermarket. The challenge of disposing with such primary batteries was to find a way to reuse them, by recharging the batteries. This becomes more essential as the batteries become larger, and frequently replacing them is not commercially viable. One of the earliest rechargeable batteries, the nickel-cadmium battery (NiCd), also uses an alkali as an electrolyte. In 1989 nickel-metal hydrogen batteries (NiMH) were developed, and had a longer life than NiCd batteries. These types of batteries are very sensitive to overcharging and overheating during charge, therefore the charge rate is controlled below a maximum rate. Sophisticated controllers can speed up the charge, without taking less than a few hours. In most other simpler chargers, the process typically takes overnight. Portable applications — such as mobile phones and laptop computers — are constantly looking for maximum, most compact stored energy. While this increases the risk of a violent discharge, it is manageable using current rate limiters in the mobile phone batteries because of the overall small format. But as larger applications of batteries are contemplated the safety in large format and large quantity of cells has become a more significant consideration. The first great leap forward New technologies often demand more compact, higher capacity, safe, rechargeable batteries. In 1980, the American physicist Professor John Goodenough invented a new type of lithium battery in which the lithium (Li) could migrate through the battery from one electrode to the other as a Li+ ion. Lithium is one of the lightest elements in the periodic table and it has one of the largest electrochemical potentials, therefore this combination produces some of the highest possible voltages in the most compact and lightest volumes. This is the basis for the lithium-ion battery. In this new battery, lithium is combined with a transition metal — such as cobalt, nickel, manganese or iron — and oxygen to form the cathode. During recharging when a voltage is applied, the positively charged lithium ion from the cathode migrates to the graphite anode and becomes lithium metal. Because lithium has a strong electrochemical driving force to be oxidised if allowed, it migrates back to the cathode to become a Li+ ion again and gives up its electron back to the cobalt ion. The movement of electrons in the circuit gives us a current that we can use. The second great leap forward Depending on the transition metal used in the lithium-ion battery, the cell can have a higher capacity but can be more reactive and susceptible to a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. In the case of lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) batteries made by Sony in the 1990s, this led to many such batteries catching fire. The possibility of making battery cathodes from nano-scale material and hence more reactive was out of the question. But in the 1990s, Goodenough again made a huge leap in battery technology by introducing a stable lithium-ion cathode based on lithium iron and phosphate. This cathode is thermally stable. It also means that nano-scale lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) or lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) materials can now be made safely into large format cells that can be rapidly charged and discharged. Many new applications now exist for these new cells, from power tools to hybrid and electric vehicle. Perhaps the most important application will be the storage of domestic electric energy for households. The leader in manufacturing this new battery format for vehicles is the Tesla electric vehicle company, which has plans for building “Giga-plants” for production of these batteries. The size of the lithium battery pack for the Tesla Model S is an impressive 85kWh. This is also more than enough for domestic household needs, which is why there has been so much speculation as to what Tesla’s founder Elon Musk is preparing to reveal later this week. A modular battery design may create battery formats that are somewhat interchangeable and suited to both vehicle and domestic applications without need for redesign or reconstruction. Perhaps we are about to witness the next generational shift in energy generation and storage driven by the ever-improving capabilities of the humble battery.The Conversation [© techcentral.co.za] http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/How-Much-Would-the-Storage-Market-Change-if-Batteries-Were-One-Sixth-The-Cu How Much Would the Storage Market Change if Batteries Were One-Sixth the Current Price? Eric Wesoff April 29, 2015 [image http://dqbasmyouzti2.cloudfront.net/assets/content/cache/made/content/images/articles/freewire-1_310_232.jpg ] They already are, and startup FreeWire is looking at applications for cheap “second-life” EV batteries. I was waiting for a bus in front of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers yesterday morning. But before I got to ride Proterra's electric bus (KP is an investor), I was distracted by a tricked-out Good Humor ice cream cart parked next to the bus. It was startup FreeWire's mobile charger -- and the company's CEO just happened to be in the neighborhood. The startup purchases used batteries from EV manufacturers such as Nissan and repurposes them -- in this case, in the form of a mobile EV charger. The mobile EV charger stores energy in two 24-kilowatt-hour battery packs for a total of 48 kilowatt-hours per ice-cream cart. The cart can be moved around parking lots and fleet storage areas to charge seven to eight electric vehicles per day. FreeWire CEO Arcady Sosinov called it "a cost-effective solution to EV charging." In the world of liquid fuels, the analogous process is called "wet hosing." The CEO told GTM that his firm "gets the batteries directly from Nissan," the No. 2 battery supplier behind Panasonic. Sosinov said that there are "already thousands" of available battery packs stored in a facility in Oklahoma City where Nissan tests them monthly and cycles them every six months. The CEO noted, "It's a pain to store them." Approximately 300,000 EVs have been sold in the U.S. to date. So, the company's mobile battery charger is cool. The firm has plans to deploy "networks of grid-smart EV chargers" with potential applications at airports, corporate campuses, or anywhere an EV fleet is managed. The unit is capable of dual Level 2 charging. The startup envisions "an organization's entire EV charging operation...outsourced to FreeWire so that facilities managers and employees can focus on their jobs." But here's the real punch line: the cost of the second-life batteries is "a sixth of the new battery price," according to the CEO, who added, "What people expect to pay in 2030 for battery prices, we pay today. Plus, we get a battery management system, busbars, and cabling." He notes that the batteries might not be vehicle-ready, but they are "good packs" with about five years of life left in them if cycled twice daily. If the typical installed cost of a lithium-ion battery energy storage system is approximately $1,000 per kilowatt-hour (or less) -- then used battery packs are in the neighborhood of $100 per kilowatt-hour. One-sixth the price of new EV batteries Finally, a number now exists on the value of a used EV battery. Matt Horton, Proterra's VP of sales and marketing (the bus story is on deck, people), had this to say: "We need someone to establish the residual value" of second-life batteries, adding, "Today there is effectively zero value built in to the model for residual value." He predicted, "That market is going to mature a lot." Horton also said, "As this market continues to mature, it will open up some interesting business opportunities." FreeWire's CEO and Jawann Swislow, VP of business development, suggest that the EV charger is just one of the products that will come from low-cost second-life batteries. Other applications include replacing diesel generators in instances where operation needs to be quiet and emission-free, such as movie sets or cell towers. Limited-discharge stationary power is another application. Entrepreneurs can now start answering the question: What can be done with $100-per-kilowatt-hour batteries? FreeWire has raised $425,000 in very early-stage funding from the usual Berkeley-Haas suspects and others: Steve Blank, Jerry Engel, Center Electric, Arjun Divecha, Erik Steeb, and Jay Zarfoss. The startup is part of the LA Cleantech Incubator and the Energy Excelerator, where it was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Navy’s Office of Naval Research for a project in Hawaii. FreeWire will soon be looking for its first institutional raise. One last question: What is Tesla going to do with all those used Model S and Model X battery packs? We'll let you know tomorrow evening as we report live from Tesla's energy storage product unveiling. [© greentechmedia.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://gas2.org/2015/05/02/commercial-ev-sales-exceed-800000-2023/ Commercial EV Sales Could Exceed 800,000 By 2023 http://evobsession.com/commercial-ev-sales-could-exceed-800000-by-2023/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-3062466/Gocycle-G2-review-CHRIS-EVANS.html £2,799 gocycle.com > the F1 car of electric bicycles http://www.ocala.com/article/20150427/ARTICLES/150429689 1st L2 AeroVironment EVSE in Ocala, FL http://www.engineering.com/ElectronicsDesign/ElectronicsDesignArticles/ArticleID/10019/Smart-Charging-Your-Electric-Car-Theres-an-App-for-That.aspx Siemens VersiCharge Smartgrid EVSE+app> charge now vs low-cost later + EVLN: Driving in silence is golden for EV drivers {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Batteries-10-Biggest-Manufacturers-history-WattIf-1-6price-tp4675466.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
