Clean energy visionaries have long argued that a better battery is needed that could reassure skeptical consumers about electric vehicle sales and allow the grid to better tap into renewable energy. However, for at least the next decade, future batteries will be based on legacy technology.

　　Lithium-ion batteries have already taken an overwhelming lead in the battery market, and rival technologies may find it difficult to catch up. That lead will expand as planned new lithium-ion battery production plants come online over the next five years.

　　The mass production of batteries by new battery factories in China, the United States, Thailand and other countries will further drive down prices. Since 2010, lithium-ion battery prices have plummeted by 85%. And the billions of dollars invested in building and operating battery production plants will continue to improve lithium-ion battery technology, rather than using other battery technologies to provide powerful power.

　　Many start-ups are now focusing on technological upgrades of lithium-ion batteries. "We don't see disruption to lithium-ion battery development," said Erik Terjesen, senior director of licensing and strategy at Ionic Materials. Headquartered in Massachusetts, Terjesen is one of several companies working to develop and perfect solid-state battery technology.

　　But Ionic Materials' design is not to replace lithium-ion batteries, but to improve them. Instead, the company designed polymer electrolytes that can be used within existing lithium batteries. This means battery production plants can use it without adding new equipment. "Given all the investment in lithium-ion, we don't believe people are abandoning this battery technology and starting development again," Terjesen said.

　　The world's first lithium-ion battery was invented by an ExxonMobil researcher in the 1970s and commercialized by Sony in 1991. It has been used for decades. Lithium-ion batteries work by transporting charged lithium atoms or ions through a liquid electrolyte, flowing between the positive and negative electrodes. And using different materials in the cathode cobalt, nickel and manganese to increase energy storage capacity. Products that first appeared in consumer electronics, such as mobile phones, can now find their way into electric vehicles and have applications on the electrical grid.

　　Logan Goldie-Scot, head of energy storage research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said: "Lithium-ion batteries are versatile, so when their cost becomes lower, it opens up more areas of demand." According to the company's survey data, lithium-ion batteries Prices for the group averaged $1,160 per kWh in 2010, fell to $176 per kWh in 2018, and may fall below $100 in 2024. Continued declines in lithium-ion battery prices and improving performance could open up new markets.

　　Some people aren't convinced that lithium-ion batteries can do it all. Some automakers are hoping to develop a breakthrough technology that allows long-range electric vehicles to charge up to 500 miles, which will finally convince skeptical consumers that electric vehicles will not run out of juice on the road. For example, Toyota Motor Corp. has more patents and patent applications than any other company in solid-state batteries and has invested $13.9 billion to develop its battery business.

　　Storing more renewable energy requires better battery technology. Although manufacturers like Tesla Inc. and Dynegy Inc. have begun connecting lithium-ion battery energy storage systems to the grid, these energy storage systems typically only provide power for a maximum of four hours. Former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moni said in an interview with industry media in February this year that short-term energy storage systems will not help integrate large amounts of renewable energy. "These energy storage systems cannot sustainably provide power for a day, a week, a month, a quarter, and that's why different battery technologies need to be developed," said Moniz, who recently co-authored a report calling for more work on batteries. investment in research.

　　Many battery alternatives, from flywheel energy storage to flow battery technology, have failed to achieve greater success, while lithium-ion batteries are increasingly being used. The flow battery developed by California-based Primus Power can generate 25kW of electricity and last for 5 hours. Tom Stepien, the company's chief executive, said improvements to the current design could increase power time to seven to eight hours. When more power is needed, flow batteries can be achieved by using more liquid electrolytes.

　　Stepien said metaphorically, "You can say that lithium batteries are sprinters, while flow batteries are marathon runners." But Stepien admitted that it is difficult to convince potential customers to adopt battery technology that they are not so familiar with. PrimusPower has deployed 30 flow battery energy storage systems so far, mainly in the past three years. Stepien said, "Lithium batteries are easier to deploy and every user will do it."

　　Long-duration energy storage has attracted entrepreneurs who insist there is room for significant improvements in lithium-ion batteries, not just incremental gains.

　　Berdichevsky, co-founder and CEO of Sila Nanotech, said the company developed technology that could increase the energy storage of lithium-ion batteries by 20% or more.

　　"I think lithium-ion batteries can dominate the energy storage market, but they have to enter new chemistries to do that," he said.

　　The silicon-based powder developed by Sila can be made into anodes for lithium-ion batteries. At an atomic level, silicon can hold more lithium than the carbon in graphite, the most common anode material, meaning batteries using Sila products can store more energy. The company has invested approximately $125 million to date and entered into a partnership with the BMW Group to develop the technology.

　　Berdichevsky said any competitor offering a completely different battery architecture would have a hard time entering the market as battery manufacturers build new factories and battery costs continue to fall. Driven by increased electric vehicle production, global lithium-ion battery production capacity has nearly tripled in the past five years, according to a survey by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The current capacity is 302.2GWh, with an additional 603.8GWh battery factory planned to be operational within the next five years.

　　Berdichevsky said, "The efficiency and scale of battery production scale is incredible. It is a lot of investment, we can develop and harness these technologies, and I believe that lithium-ion batteries will have a brighter future."

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