Public Funding for Johnson Matthey Battery Systems Engineering Limited

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The Practical Lithium Air Batteries project brings together a range of academic and industrial partners with complimentary skills to work on improved lithium air battery single cells and assess their feasibility in the wider context of future battery pack and system design, compact air purification approaches and general viability for use in automotive applications. Finding an improved stable electrolyte that survives the operating conditions at the lithium air cathode is a key enabler for this technology. Thus substantial efforts will focus on synthesis and investigation of new liquid electrolytes and gels and the optimisation of electrode structures containing these often viscous media, to achieve maximum cell performance. Academic partners Queens University Belfast and Liverpool University will work on synthesising and characterising the new electrolytes, whilst Johnson Matthey Technology Centre will produce novel cathode and anode materials, optimise electrode structures and perform electrochemical testing. The participation of Jaguar Land Rover as an end user, Air Products a component manufacturer and Axeon (a Johnson Matthey Company) will provide an applications focussed approach. These industrial partners will perform a paper feasibility study on how high performing lithium air single cells would be incorporated into automotive systems in the future, assessing the mechanical and ancillary system integration and low weight/cost/volume options for on board air purification. The final output will assess the feasibility for lithium air battery systems to achieve a 400Wh/kg power density.

The project team MAST Carbon International, SLE, Johnson Matthey, Johnson Matthey Battery Systems (JMBS) and Bath University are developing a new form of carbon that will provide the basis for a range of new and enhanced electrical energy storage devices. The devices will have a significant impact on the introduction of hybrid electrical vehicles and renewable energy systems where improved energy storage will be critical to their future acceptability and commercial success.

Battery producers are obliged to recycle their batteries as defined by the EU Battery Directive. However, the UK at present does not have an automotive battery recycling industry. The purpose of the project is to investigate the economic potential and define the business model for a UK end-of-life automotive battery recycling industry and the current and future barriers to such a venture. The business model will seek to determine the stakeholders, material flows, recycling processes, recovered material value, business relationships between the stakeholders, and the barriers to be overcome. The project also seeks to understand the information required in order to evaluate whether automotive battery packs can be re-used or have reached end-of-life, either at whole pack, module or cell level. As part of this we will examine the possible testing approaches that may be required in order to determine re-use feasibility. These have not, to our knowledge, been systematically developed for this use, and therefore developing a rigorous testing methodology that can determine when batteries have reached end-of-life will be of use to the emerging EV industry in the UK.

TRL are the lead partner of a consortium consisting of Axeon Technologies, Oakdene Hollins and University of Sheffield, undertaking a feasibility study on the recycling of electric vehicle Lithium ion batteries. The main focus of the feasibility study is to identify a cost effective method for recycling of automotive Lithium-Ion batteries and to understand whether it can contribute to reducing the initial purchase price of EVs in the UK. In doing so, the project aims to develop a battery tracking and state of health monitoring methodology which, combined with the identification of the possible value of recoverable raw materials from an EV battery, will allow the development of a model to determine when it is cost effective to recycle an EV battery.

“A significant reduction in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions could be achieved by increased consumer uptake of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Such vehicles would emit no CO2 in urban driving cycles (probably the majority of their use) but would have the ability to switch to ICE use for extended range journey and are thus likely to be attractive to mainstream consumers. High energy density batteries, produced and sold at low cost, are a key enabler for mass market acceptance of electric vehicle technology. However, current battery technologies are not optimal for the energy density required and the price is also a major deterrent. This project seeks to bring together enhanced battery materials - advanced Transition Metal Oxide cathodes with Silicon anodes - that combined have the potential to provide a significant increase in energy storage over current technologies. The project will accelerate the knowledge transfer and pull through of technology from university-based fundamental research to optimized synthesis and scale up for cell production for use in a demonstrator PHEV battery pack.”

A significant reduction in the UK's carbon dioxide emissions could be achieved by increased consumer uptake of zero emission electric vehicles (EVs). These are ideal for urban driving as their range (80-110 miles on a single charge) easily covers most likely journeys. However, hurdles remain to widespread acceptance of passenger EVs; these include cost, limited availability and the need to balance range and performance with functionality. The cell chemistries currently available limit the scope of application to larger commercial vehicles due to their energy density, weight, size and cost. This project aims to develop an innovative high energy density battery system for an electric small city car. Using new cell chemistries that offer higher energy density we will produce a lighter and smaller and therefore more efficient battery with faster charging and a higher range than those currently available. This will include a new battery management system (BMS) with increased functionality, reliability and battery pack safety but reduced size, weight and cost. Although battery pack unit costs are likely to remain similar to current technology the benefits of the newer technology from improved performance, functionality and range will be significant. These factors in turn will enhance the desirability of low carbon EVs, improving consumer acceptance of such platforms and ultimately enhancing their mass market appeal. We believe that the resulting battery and its associated key technologies will therefore be in significant demand in the UK and in international markets.

Awaiting Public Summary