Alsym Energy emerges today from stealth mode, introducing a battery storage solution the company said will provide the performance of lithium-ion batteries at a fraction of the cost and without the inherent risk of fire. While we know that the cathode is primarily manganese oxide, the anode is a different metal oxide, and the electrolyte is water-based, the company has not yet disclosed the exact battery chemistry. It has indicated, however, that the battery uses no lithium, cobalt or nickel to avoid the problems associated with material supply and cost.
The company said it expects the batteries to cost less than half of current lithium-based batteries. An added benefit is that the batteries are easier to recycle because of the use of non-toxic materials.
“We’re seeing global competition to bring new batteries to market. Most companies are focused primarily on performance and put little thought into also making their batteries safer and more cost-effective—especially for the developing world where consumers are more price-sensitive,” said Nitin Nohria, Ph.D., chairman of Alsym Energy’s board of business advisors and former Dean of the Harvard Business School. “The team at Alsym Energy is working to ensure that their batteries not only meet performance expectations at reduced cost, but also avoid most of the supply chain challenges associated with lithium-based technologies.”
Founded in 2015, Alsym raised $32 million to date from investors including Helios Climate Ventures. The company’s team of scientists and product developers, based in Woburn, Mass., is currently developing a 500 kWh prototype manufacturing facility. Alsym said its batteries can be manufactured in existing lithium-ion battery factories with little to no retrofitting required and without the need for expensive dry rooms, fire locks, and solvent recovery systems.
Alsym has partnered with an automaker based in India in a joint effort to develop the batteries for EVs. The automaker is expected to contract with Alsym to supply a minimum of 3 GWh of battery systems annually, providing that key performance levels are being met. Alsym said it is in discussion with marine shipping and electric two-wheeler companies to develop similar partnerships.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
If this or the lithium-sulfur or sodium-sulfur cells are able to be mass-produced, they’ll be game-changers for the EV as well as utility and residential energy storage industries. Hopefully, they’ll be in production within a couple years, not decades, but battery chemistry is at least as hard as rocket science.
There are a few companies looking at zinc chemistry. Is this another ?
We need this type of technology here in the US market as well were new EV vehicles (Toyota, etc.) are now becoming available. Toxic waste is a global problem and reducing the cost of batteries with help bring down the cost of EV vehicles making them accessible to a broader economic group of people other than the economically privileged.
You’re right. Unfortunately, Toyota has been dragging their feet on EVs, just like most other legacy auto makers. In fact, the CEO has been lobbying for the Japanese and US governments to slow down EV adoption because he’s afraid Toyota can’t adapt fast enough or make any money on them. Also, the dealerships don’t want them because they know they don’t break down enough and don’t need all the expensive maintenance an ICE car needs. The only EV I currently see Toyota doing is one that is actually being manufactured by BYD, a Chinese auto and battery company. BYD has committed to going fully electric and dropping it’s antiquated internal combustion cars. I’m not counting Toyota’s hybrids because they still carry a dirty combustion engine, gas tank, exhaust pipes, radiator, catalytic converter, and all the rest of the complexity that an ICE engine needs. I hope Toyota and the others will become more serious about full electric autos and soon because they’re all being left in the dust by one EV maker and they need to do some serious work if they ever hope to catch up.
Looking forward to seeing real specs on this battery. It’s a bit disappointing that they would push a press release that didn’t provide any numbers for capacity, charge rate, degradation, weight, materials, or construction techniques. They might as well have remained in ‘stealth mode’.