Batteries International, Issue 122 by hamptonhalls

Issue 122

Winter 2021/2022

The Great Supply Chain Disaster No longer just-in-time, now just-in-case Tim Vargo: why Stryten is looking at flow batteries

Jimmy Herring: Ecobat's plans to be the universal recycler

Electric vehicle mandates: political posing and hot air

Hybrid fun: lead and lithium, at last ... a perfect pairing

Bringing the industry together

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D LEA

OR F EED N E TH D N SA E I TER T BA

ER V O KE A AM

FOR THE CHALLENGES AHEAD...

INNOVATION AWARD WINNER

CONTENTS COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS From just-in-time, to just-in-case

In terms of demand the lead battery business is booming. Now it’s supply that’s the problem, delivery times are increasing as the logistics of transportation continue to deteriorate.

The rise and fall … and rise again of the lithium battery pack price 60 Historically, one advantage lead batteries have had over their lithium counterparts is their affordability. The difference between the two has narrowed over the year but it’s now set to widen. The reason? The flawed supply chain and resource availability.

EDITORIAL 4 Time to change the image of lead

ANALYSIS: WOOD MACKENZIE

Complications over the Basel Convention muddle US-China lead scrap movements

PEOPLE NEWS

Lott: new hire for Doe Run 8

Obituary: Alex Fowlis, 1941-2021 • John Shepherd joins Batteries International • East Penn promotes Norbert Maleschitz to new position as chief technology officer • Omerderelioglu takes the helm as Batek Makina CEO • Millar joins DC Battery Technologies in UK as commercial director • Doe Run hires Jan Lott for new post of human resources VP • BCI innovation award deadline closed • New BCI group calls for women in batteries to join • Global long duration storage target set by new LDES Council • ENTEK appoints Singh as business development manager for India • Advanced Battery Concepts appoints Armstrong as VP for energy storage • Li-Cycle appoints new regional president of the Americas • Umicore appoints new chief strategy officer • RES appoints two CEOs for new positions in the firm

NEWS 17 Stryten hits the acquisition trail — moves into flow batteries with Storion, snaps up Tulip Richardson Manufacturing, Gavion • EUROBAT calls on EU to reconsider elements of Batteries Regulation • India’s lead battery sector to rely on used cars for short term • Lead batteries set for largest growth in aircraft sector by 2030 • EU chemicals authorization bid ‘could hit battery investments’, industry leaders warn • Gravita closes Peru-focused subsidiary • BCI innovation award deadline closed • Rombat announces record battery sales and lead recycling levels • Lead batteries set for ‘wide adoption’ as China expands backup power • Indian court extends suspension of Amara Raja battery plant closure • Digatron unveils partnership with Safion for battery diagnosis tests • ABC’s GreenSeal batteries selected to power EV charging plazas across the US • Gridtential signs agreement with Luminous Power to evaluate silicon joule technology • Gravita opens 19,500 tonnes a year lead battery recycling plant in India • Monbat announces partnership with UK’s Alpha House

ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Tesla: Megapack retrofits after huge lithium battery fire 11

Tesla ‘plans safety retrofit for Megapacks’ after Victorian Big Battery fire • Auto giants in driving seat for Europe’s gigafactory plans • Lithium battery shortages forcing rethink on manufacturing strategy, says report • Iron-based flow battery in Oregon demonstration testing • SunPower Corp launches VPP for residential customers • India’s Reliance Industry to acquire UK sodium ion firm Faradion www.batteriesinternational.com

Promotion to CTO for East Penn’s Maleschitz

Herring: enabling Ecobat to recycle all chemistries

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 1

CONTENTS RECYCLING NEWS

Wood Mackenzie pours cold water on future of lithium ion battery recycling • Leoch anticipates lithium battery market to double in size by 2025 • EcoGraf gets conditional go-ahead on expansion loan from Australian government • Veolia unveils plans for EV battery recycling plant in UK • Umicore to use next-gen battery recycling tech in deal with ACC

OPINION 34 Ivan Sedgwick from investment boutique LGB , looks for the next iteration of energy storage

THE INTERVIEWS

Jimmy Herring, Ecobat CEO, sets out plans for all-round battery recycling mission

Matt Raiford, technical head of the CBI, enthuses about lead’s future

Tim Vargo, CEO, Stryten Energy, discusses life on the acquisition trail

ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES

A vision of hype over substance. Is the world really going to move into a whizzy world of all electric vehicles by 2040? It’s starting to look unlikely. Very unlikely.

HYBRID STORAGE

Raiford: the inescapable logic to lead batteries’ advantages 40

Vargo: Stryten’s acquisition logic ... and flow batteries too 50

GS Yuasa demonstrates a potential game-changer for lead and lithium hybrid project

CURING CHAMBERS

The march of advanced technology into traditional production techniques

EVENTS 82

Like Castor and Pollux, lead and lithium, heavenly twins? 68

Our complete listing of the battery and energy storage exhibitions, conferences and shows for the coming months

BATTERY HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER

It was not a long life but it burned brightly. By the time the inventor of the nickel cadmium battery died aged 55 he had provoked a complete rethink of many of the ways we look at battery chemistry Jungner: time still to rethink battery chemistries

Publisher Karen Hampton karen@batteriesinternational.com +44 7792 852 337 Editor Michael Halls editor@batteriesinternational.com +44 7977 016 918 Advertising director Jade Beevor jade@batteriesinternational.com Deputy editor John Shepherd john@batteriesinternational.com

Contributing editor Frank Millard Researcher, journalist Hillary Christie hillary@batteriesinternational.com

Production/design Antony Parselle aparselledesign@me.com International advertising representation advertising@batteriesinternational.com

Finance administrator Juanita Anderson juanita@batteriesinternational.com

The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. No unauthorized translation or reproduction is permitted. ISSN 1462-6322

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Disclaimer: Although we believe in the accuracy and completeness of the information contained in this magazine, Mustard Seed Publishing makes no warranties or representation about this. Nor should anything contained within it should be construed as constituting an offer to buy or sell securities, or constitute advice in relation to the buying or selling of investments.

2 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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EDITORIAL Mike Halls • editor@batteriesinternational.com

Time to change the image of lead Thomas Midgley Junior isn’t so well known now. But, until his death in 1944, he was reckoned to be one of the most brilliant men of his day. Midgley’s fame rests on his two great contributions to mankind — dichlorodifluoromethane (better known to us as a CFC, the chemical that destroys the ozone layer) and tetra-ethyl-lead, the antiknocking additive to petrol that was universally accepted as poisonous some 50 years after its discovery. To be fair, Midgley’s immediate contribution to the planet was, at first, a beneficent one. Oddly enough, in the 1920s and 30s people died at the hands of their fridges every year. The first CFCs were a boon to air cooling systems and saved many lives. The alternatives, such as propane or chloromethane were toxic, explosive or highly flammable. And tetra-ethyl lead provided the automotive industry the push that made the internal combustion engine the workhorse of the planet and the troubled dream of an entire nation. But — 70 years after his death — with CFCs phased out and TEL only found in the poorest nations of the world, Midgley’s legacy lingers on. And in a totally unexpected way. By putting TEL into our cars, he put lead into the air. Or rather General Motors did (which to its shame knew early on that it was dangerous following cases of madness and hallucinations in its workforce). Rather like the anti-smoking campaign, public awareness of TEL took a long time to build up. The trigger for it becoming an issue came from an unexpected direction. Cheap paint and timber frame houses in the US. For the very poor in America, their cheap woodbuilt houses could be spruced up nicely with the judicious use of paint — whose principal pigment within it was lead oxide. And the mix of cheap wood and cheap paint? The result: flakes of peeling lead which entered people’s lungs. The resulting US (and then later worldwide) legislation turned attention to finding lead anywhere and everywhere else. So, in the 1960s and early 1970s, a seemingly powerful case for getting rid of the lead in petrol emerged. News that the high levels of lead in US and European inner-city children caused by petrol 4 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

fumes created a ripple effect — from the world of the tabloids to seats of government. In the event, legislation to enforce a ban on lead in petrol was inevitable. At this point, Robert Merton’s Law of Unforeseen Consequences kicked in. In the public mind by the end of the 1970s, lead had become as dangerous as, say, arsenic or strychnine. Probably even looking at the metal would make you blind or send you into fits. The fact that it was not just fit for purpose — and maybe the only thing that would easily and cheaply work within a car, or a UPS system — was left by the door, neatly sitting next to the open-toed sandals. Even congressmen and members of parliament jumped with the lemmings. The result? We now have a generation of misinformed politicians who, with admirable thoroughness, are trying to legislate lead out of existence. A case in point. Batteries International last summer (BI issue 116, p13) ran a transcript of a speech given by Frans Timmermans, vice president of the European Commission — the driving force behind setting European energy policy. In it he said that he was “technology agnostic but not stupid” and he was not interested in a battery storage that had “a huge negative impact on the environment...we look at things that have a future rather than things that have a great past.” One word. Misinformed. The lead community has been fighting back for a generation and more. But with little impact on a media that doesn’t want to hear a good news story. So, for example, arguments about the recyclability of lead continue to have little impact on a general public that believes recycling of, say, tins or wine bottles is worthwhile but not inherently interesting. But the recycling story is an important one to remember — even if the arguments aren’t compelling. It shows a responsible, mature industry that can point with ample justification to a defence that its core product is safe. And can be proven to be. The trouble is that changing public perceptions only seems to work best when sensationalism occurs. In Europe, for example, a thoroughly worthwhile book ‘E’ is for Additives, written in 1987, persuaded an entire continent of people who didn’t www.batteriesinternational.com

EDITORIAL even read the book that an ‘E’ number (the European food code for food additives) was not just a bad thing but a terrible one. (Forgetting of course that E948, for example, is the code for oxygen or that herbs such as oregano would nowadays be coded as too dangerous to be assigned an ‘E’ number.) Organizations such as the International Lead Association, EUROBAT, BCI and others continue to try and fight back. But they have an enormous challenge on their hands. And, being respectable bodies, rightly enough would not stoop to underhand media trickery. This year’s upcoming BCI annual convention in Florida and the return, in September, of the first face-to-face ELBC conference since Vienna in 2018, provide golden opportunities to galvanize the industry and redouble efforts to fight a fresh round of post-lockdown, politically-inspired assaults on lead battery technology that will undoubtedly come. In Europe, the anti-lead-at-all-cost faction has already raised its head once again. The European Chemicals Agency has recently proposed that lead metal be added to its REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) list — indicating that the substance will eventually be substituted and can only be used in the meantime with specific permission from the European Commission. A consortium of businesses involved in the mining, smelting, refining and recycling of lead, as well as manufacturers of lead compounds and producers of lead-based automotive and industrial batteries, have already launched a fight back. They have rightly warned that such overreach by the meddling Eurocrats of Brussels would “freeze” investments in batteries and derail the EU’s own carbon reduction plans. As one battery veteran once perfectly summed it up for Batteries International: “It’s hard to get political people, let alone ordinary ones, to understand what an inconsistent view they have on lead. They want to ban it from the EU but still drive cars. They worry about infinitesimal levels of lead in the blood while the battery itself powers the most remorseless killing machine on the planet.” Lithium is not having it all its own way and bad publicity has persisted since the Dreamliner scare of nearly a decade ago. There continues to be a steady stream of reports about the role of batteries involving fires in battery storage systems and EVs. The recall of cars containing lithium batteries has www.batteriesinternational.com

cost between $3 billion and $5 billion in the last year and a half alone. Only last year, the US National Transportation Safety Board called for EV manufacturers to review “inadequate” guidelines for first responders who are called to tackle lithium-ion battery fires. Then there are the issues of responsible sourcing for the lithium batteries supply chain and a woeful record on recycling when compared to lead’s stellar performance. Yet the political powers that be, certainly in Europe, continue to plough R&D battery cash into anything associated with lithium, rather than nurturing a sensible mix of battery technologies — steering away from lead in the mistaken belief that only lithium-powered, sparklingly shiny new EVs, will transport them to the sunlit uplands of a green and virtuous future. If that’s the case it’ll be another unexpected consequence of the kind poor Tom Midgley suffered. In Midgley’s instance, he was unlucky to the end — “the man who had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth’s history” according to one historian — met a sorry fate. Crippled by polio in his 50s he invented an elaborate system of pulleys to make himself mobile. He died from strangulation in his own network of strings. Mike Halls, Editor Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 5

NEWS

Complications over the Basel Convention muddle US-China lead scrap movements By Farid Ahmed, Wood Mackenzie

Chinese scrap lead battery imports, tonnes

Globally, some two-thirds of all refined lead comes from recycling scrap lead batteries rather than ores dug out of the ground. If we take Chinese production out of the equation, that proportion rises to three-quarters. China, meanwhile, still relies on mining for around half of its lead, whether that’s domestic production or imported ore concentrates. This is a situation they wish to change. The Chinese secondary (recycling) lead industry has expanded hugely in recent years — and necessarily so, as capacity is needed to match their colossal growth of battery consumption during the past two decades. Each lead battery needs to be recycled at the end of its service life. Thus, recycling capacity must reflect that consumption growth, albeit with a time lag as used batteries are returned to the supply chain at the end of their service lives. However, Chinese secondary capacity now far exceeds requirements.

Much of this can be attributed to the failure to permanently shut down older recycling plants. These are the ones with poorer environmental performance than the newer, larger plants built in recent years.

These dirtier facilities need to be closed, but the economics of the industry in China means it’s too easy just to mothball them for a while until the price is right to restart. This means there’s still a hunger for more lead scrap to feed their secondary smelters than is available within China. The Chinese authorities have, from January 1, removed the 8% import duty on lead scrap. This is an attempt to improve raw material supply to its secondary smelters and reduce dependency on primary (mined) lead. But where will this extra scrap come from? In the context of freight — especially the current high shipping prices — their proximity to south-east Asia would seem the most sensible option. But much of this area already has well developed lead recycling markets, elevating the relative cost of scrap and negating some or all of the lower freight costs. The high scrap price and freight rates make it highly unlikely Chinese

12,000

United Kingdom

10,000

Denmark

8,000

Thailand

United States Japan Hondu ras Philippines Saudi Arabia Netherlands Belgium

6,000

Russian Federation Other

4,000

2,000

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Source: Global Trade Tracker

Chinese scrap imports dip pre-pandemic, as global scrap trade becomes ever more fierce

6 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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NEWS buyers will be scouting in Europe. Africa has much less scrap to offer due to low lead consumption, plus Indian buyers are already active there, accounting for the vast majority of African lead scrap exports. The Gulf states have higher rates of lead battery usage and, for years, local smelters have competed with Indian and Korean buyers for scrap. For the Chinese to also compete there would certainly increase prices, plus the short shipping distance favours the Indians. Concern has been voiced in US and Canadian markets that Chinese dealers will be hunting in North America for feed, especially at this time when scrap prices there are at historical lows relative to the lead price. In recent years, the US and Canadian lead smelters have been badly bruised by high levels of scrap exports to Korea. While demand for refined lead remains so strong in the US, lead recyclers fear feed availability could be badly impacted by additional losses of scrap to China out of their domestic market. At present, we do not expect the negative effect on the US and Canada to be pronounced. Ocean freight and purchase costs of importing US and

Canadian scrap into China are presently well over $1,000 per tonne of scrap. When other costs are added in, such as overland transport, port handling and conversion at the smelter, any margin would rapidly evaporate. If, as we expect, both LME and SHFE lead prices start to slide from today’s levels, then this would make the economics of importing US scrap even more adverse for the Chinese. But we must recognise that this remains a distinct possibility. Battery scrap exports from the US may still be blocked by legislation. The US is a ‘signatory’ to the Basel Convention, but not a ‘party’ to it. Our enquiries on this matter to the US Department of State have, so far, failed to provide total clarity. We were told that a Basel ‘party’ (here China) is prohibited from trading hazardous waste (for example, lead battery scrap) with a non-party (here the US) unless there’s a bilateral agreement in place — and there’s no such agreement between China and the US. The Basel Convention Ban Amendment prohibits the transfer of hazardous waste from an OECD member (such as the US) to a non-OECD coun-

If, as we expect, both LME and SHFE lead prices start to slide from today’s levels, then this would make the economics of importing US scrap even more adverse for the Chinese try (for example, China). The Chinese authorities do, we believe, regard used lead batteries as hazardous waste and should not permit import under their Basel obligations. But if the US is not a party to the Ban Amendment, then this suggests such a prohibition would not apply. Ultimately, it’s the decision of the Chinese Basel ‘Competent Authority’ whether to allow the import from a non-party. They may take the pragmatic approach and simply waive it through to get their hands on more scrap, potentially opening the doors to an exodus of scrap from the US and Canada.

Meet the team Bringing the industry together

Karen Hampton, publisher

Antony Parselle, page designer

www.batteriesinternational.com

Mike Halls, editor

John Shepherd, deputy editor

Hillary Christie, reporter

Juanita Anderson, business development manager

Jade Beevor, advertising director

Kevin Desmond, historian

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

DIGITAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

Karen Hampton Tel: +44 (0) 7792 852 337 karen@batteriesinternational.com

Mike Halls +44 (0) 7977 016 918 editor@batteriesinternational.com

Jade Beevor +44 (0)1243 782 275 jade@batteriesinternational.com

www.batteriesinternational.com

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 7

PEOPLE NEWS

John Shepherd joins Batteries International

Veteran energy journalist John Shepherd joined the team of Batteries International at the start of February. Shepherd, who has four decades of experience running print and digital news and business titles across Europe and Asia, has specialized in covering battery and energy storage for the past five years and the energy sector more generally for 20 Most recently, Shepherd was editor of the online business daily New Energy 360 & World Battery News. Before launching

that, he was the editor of a publication at UK-based Energy Storage Publishing. Shepherd, who has spent most of his working life living abroad, will be based in the UK for the moment. He takes over from Debbie Mason, who was in charge of the publishing group’s online publications and a prime figure in the content of the print side of the group’s business: Batteries International, Energy Storage Journal and related conference papers and various supplements. Mike Halls, editor of Batteries International,

said: “Our whole team — and probably the whole industry — will miss Debbie, who is going on to greater things. We’ll miss her both as a friend and a colleague. That said we believe that with John we’ve managed to find someone with equal talent and enthusiasm. “I can’t wait to re-introduce John to the industry through our online news coverage and in person at the major conventions of the battery industry such as BCI in May and ELBC this September. Shepherd said: “Batteries International is quite simply the best industry publication covering the battery business, and it’s going to be fun working together. “Mike and I are already looking at new directions of coverage to see how we can serve this community further.” “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the industry and the people in it over the past few years, and I will miss it and the team at Batteries International,” said Mason. “But sometimes you reach a time in your life when you realise it’s time to try something new.”

Alex Fowlis, 1941-2021 It is with sadness that Batteries International has learnt that Alex Fowlis, manufacturing director for Chloride Exide Botswana in Africa until his retirement in 2019, died in December. He was close to his 81st birthday. Fowlis, who had been based in Gaborone in Botswana for some 20 years, had had extensive experience in the battery industry across Africa. Working with the parent group Chloride, the British firm that was once one of the huge names in the international battery industry, he spent most of his life in Africa including time in what is now

8 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Zimbabwe, as well as for Chloride in New Zealand. His colleague Rob Harris, engineering director, at Chloride in Botswana, said he was one of a last generation of all-round battery engineers. “He should have been called ‘Mr Battery’,” he said. He knew everything there was to know about battery manufacturing.” Another colleague wrote: “Alex had an immense sense of humour blended with an insightful mind so conversing with him was nothing but a unique experience. His delicately expressed discourses shall be hugely missed.”

Doe Run hires Jan Lott for new post of human resources VP Lead mining and recycling company Doe Run said on January 18 that it had hired Jan Lott to take up the new post of vice-president human resources. Lott, who was most recently vice-president of human resources at US law firm Armstrong Teasdale, will lead the St Louis, Missouri-based company in setting human resources strategies, developing and training employees and recruitment. Lott has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, people management, and coaching and professional development. Doe Run CEO and president Matthew Wohl said Lott would provide “additional strategic guidance over how we manage our most important resource — our people”. Wohl said Lott would help attract new employees “as we continue to meet the world’s growing demand for the lead, zinc, and copper concentrates produced from our mines and the lead metal from our recycling facility.” Doe Run’s Resource Recycling facility in Boss, Missouri, is one of the world’s largest single-site lead battery recycling plants. Resource Recycling annually recycles nearly 400 million pounds of lead-bearing materials, including about 8.5 million recycled lead batteries.

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PEOPLE NEWS

East Penn promotes Norbert Maleschitz to new position as chief technology officer

East Penn Manufacturing in December promoted Norbert Maleschitz, senior vice president of technology and innovation, to the newly created position of chief technology officer. Maleschitz started his career at Banner Batterien in Austria in 1991. He was appointed its technical director in 2005. He won the International Lead Award in 2012 and joined Exide Technologies as a VP of research and development EMEA the following year.

In 2018 he joined East Penn. In his new position, Maleschitz will oversee the company’s efforts to advance its technology and innovation for its products, processes and manufacturing equipment, East Penn says. “Maleschitz has been integral to supporting the company’s research, development and engineering strategies — working directly with divisions across the organization to spur new growth and exciting ad-

vancements,” the firm says. “As East Penn continues to innovate, this new position will help the company provide customers with the crucial energy storage solutions they will need.” In November, East Penn won its seventh consecutive Most Valuable Supplier award, courtesy of the MHEDA (Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association). East Penn had to meet a series of criteria to win the award, including demonstrating industry and distributor advocacy, business networking, continuing education and business best practices. “As the only battery manufacturer to achieve this award seven consecutive years, it is truly an amazing accomplishment and only possible through the continued commitment of our employees, our independently owned North American dealer network, and the customers we serve,” said Doug Bouquard, VP/GM of motive power sales.

Omerderelioglu takes the helm as Batek Makina CEO

Turkish battery equipment manufacturer Batek Makina has appointed Bulent Omerderelioglu as chief executive officer as of January 3. Batek co-founder and board member, Mahmut Celal Sarıçam, said Omerderelioglu — who has been a consultant to the company for more than 10 years — had already helped Batek develop strategies for the successful growth and diversification of the business. Sarıçam said “the time had come to hand over the leadership” to a professional who can lead continued growth. Omerderelioglu has previously held several senior executive posts in manufacturing companies and is a respected figure in the Turkish equipment building industry, Sarıçam said.

BCI innovation award deadline closed The deadline for entries to BCI’s annual innovation award closed on February 17. The winners will be announced at this year’s convention and power mart, which will be held on May 1-4 in Naples, Florida. BCI reports that at least six applications have been received so far. The council’s executive vice-president, Roger Miksad, told Batteries International: “We’re very excited by the calibre of innovations we have received so far, and look forward to the dif-

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ficult judging process that is sure to be required.” Candidates for the award can later prepare a video about their company and product that will be screened during the opening morning of the conference. Hammond won the award, for a second time, at the last convention. This was for its pioneering work on the use of lead silicate as a cure for acid stratification, hence decreasing lead sulfation and extending

the battery life. Other former winners include AACarbon, NorthStar, Gridtential and RSR Technologies. The award has been a fixture at BCI conventions

since 2016 — in honour of Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz, the former CEO of East Penn Manufacturing, who died in a running accident in 2014 at the age of 52.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 9

PEOPLE NEWS

New BCI group calls for women in batteries to join Battery Council International on January 20 said it had founded the Women in the Global Battery Industry organization and is encouraging professional women in the sector to apply to join. WGBI has been founded ‘to promote, develop and advance women in all facets of the battery industry’. “WGBI believes that women in similar industries can derive benefit for themselves and their companies through relationship building, education and shared knowledge,” BCI says. The group will focus on for key elements: networking, professional growth, education and mentorship, with programmes and activities designed ‘to enhance members’ skills and experience, address industry challenge and promote career growth with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of women employed in the battery industry’. The cost is minimal — just $100 a year for industry professionals and $35 for academics. Details of how to apply for membership are on BCI’s website.

ENTEK appoints Singh as business development manager for India Separator firm ENTEK has appointed Rajneesh Singh as business development manager of the sales group in India, the company said on December 15. Singh has joined the company from competitor Daramic, where he was a key account manager for almost eight years and regional sales manager for three and a half. “Rajneesh brings more than 16 years of accomplished experience in sales

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and product development, including more than 12 years of experience delivering exceptional service and value to customers in the battery industry,” said ENTEK. “Rajneesh understands the needs of the market in India, and ENTEK is very fortunate to have him join our team,” said vice president of global sales Clint Beutelschies. ENTEK became the latest member of the Consortium

for Battery Innovation in December. “CBI’s research focus ties in well with our own efforts for increased battery performance in automotive, industrial and renewable energy storage, and we are excited to participate in this group,” said Beutelschies. “CBI and ENTEK share a common goal of advancing material science and promoting innovation in lead battery technology for the continued success and

prosperity of our industry,” said VP of Global Sales Clint Beutelschies. “CBI’s research focus ties in well with our own efforts for increased battery performance in automotive, industrial and renewable energy storage, and we are excited to participate in this group.” ENTEK’s purchase of the Japanese NSG Group’s battery separator division in May gave the company its AGM separator capability, which at the time Beutelschies said pushed ENTEK into a leading position in Asia.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 11

PEOPLE NEWS

Li-Cycle appoints new regional president of the Americas Lithium battery recycling firm Li-Cycle on January 20 announced it had appointed Richard Storrie as regional president of the Americas. Storrie, who takes up the post on January 24, will lead the company’s operations, commercial development and growth strategy in the region, the firm says. He joins the firm from mining giant Rio Tinto, where he was president and COO of the Diavik diamond mine in the northwest territories of Canada. “Storrie brings more than 26 years of operational, technical and strategic development experience in the metals and mining industry and possesses a deep understanding of the battery metals supply chain,” said Li-Cycle. CEO Ajay Kochhar said he would ‘play an important role’ in helping the firm

to scale up to meet growing demand for lithium battery recycling. Li-Cycle, which has developed a ‘spoke and hub’ system that collects and dismantles lithium batteries, also said it had adopted a new regional management structure to boost its global growth plans. “Under the new structure, regional presidents will oversee recycling operations, commercial activities and business development activities in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.” A month earlier the firm announced it had Li-Cycle has appointed Debbie Simpson as chief financial officer effective February 1 and Nahla Azmy as senior vice president for investor relations and financial communications, who had started in November.

RES appoints two CEOs for new positions in the firm For the record, senior executives Rachel Ruffle and Marco Perona have been promoted to new CEO positions created by renewable energy giant RES, the firm said on November 23. Rachel Ruffle becomes CEO EMEA, “expanding her current Northern Europe CEO role to lead development and construction activities across RES’ EMEA countries”, the firm says. Marco Perona is CEO Support Services, leading RES’ activities in supporting asset management on operational projects. Ruffle has been with RES for 26 years, Perona for eight. “These new roles will ensure a high level of

global consistency for our clients,” said RES group CEO Eduardo Medina. “Together with the recent appointment of John Rohde, our Americas CEO, Rachel and Marco will support RES as we gear up to meet the growing opportunities for renewables as the energy transition accelerates.” The appointments are in line with RES’ ambitions to expand internationally, helped by capital raised in October when it sold its French development and construction business to Hanwha Solutions. The company has big ambitions — also in October it agreed a $4.1 billion deal with Octopus Energy to build hydrogen plants.

12 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Richard Storrie

Simpson took over from retiring CFO Bruce Macinnis and the two worked together during the transition process. Simpson has left Maple Leaf Foods, where she held a similar position and

helped to see the company through a shift towards a higher-value sustainable protein business by securing more than $2 billion in funding. Before that, she was CTO of Vincor International, a global producer and distributor of wines. On November 15, Nahla Azmy was appointed SVP in investor relations. A former equity analyst, Azmy has left chemicals firm Ecovyst to join Li-Cycle, after developing and implementing an investor relations programme for the company. Azmy also has previous experience in utilities and power research companies. Both report to Li-Cycle CEO Ajay Kochhar.

Millar joins DC Battery Technologies in UK as commercial director Mel Millar has been appointed as commercial director for UK-based DC Battery Technologies. Millar, who joins the Corby-based company after a break from the battery industry, brings more than 10 years of experience to the post, where she will oversee finance, procurement, warehousing and customer service. Millar said: “As sales continue to increase, I will help the company ensure that we remain customer focused whilst optimizing all commercial opportunities, improving our procedures and building strong relationships with our customers and partners.” DC Battery Technologies is a subsidiary of Germany-based battery

distributor A Müller — which specializes in deep cycle and direct current batteries for applications including marine, leisure, mobility and renewables. The European group has a combined turnover of €100 million ($114 million) with a lead and lithium portfolio that includes the Trojan and C&D battery brands.

Mel Millar

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PEOPLE NEWS

Advanced Battery Concepts appoints Armstrong as VP for energy storage Bipolar battery firm Advanced Battery Concepts has appointed Michael Armstrong as vice president for energy storage, the firm announced on December 14. Armstrong had already been working as a consultant for ABC since May. The appointment is a further step in the company’s ambitions to enter the energy marketplace with its tech-

nology, coming two months after the firm launched its Home Emergency Storage System for residential energy back-up. Working with the University of Michigan’s Ross Business School and its MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Projects) programme, ABC says it has identified ‘fresh perspectives’ on the US long-duration stationary

Umicore appoints new chief strategy officer For the record, Frank Daufenbach was appointed chief strategy officer at Belgium-based materials technology and recycling firm Umicore, effective December 6. The position is a new one, and has been made a few weeks after Mathias Miedreich was appointed CEO at the beginning of October. The company is ‘preparing Umicore’s next growth phase as a leader in clean mobility materials and recycling’, it says. Daufenbach was vice president of strategy and marketing of the clean mobility business group at automotive supplier Faurecia. He has also worked for Monitor Deloitte, KPMG and Oliver Wyman. “With his rich experience, open personality and leadership style, Frank will be an asset in supporting the management board and the business groups in maximizing our full potential as we write the next chapter of Umicore’s growth strategy,” said Miedreich.

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In October, Umicore revised down its 2021 outlook slightly, saying it expected its EBIT (earnings before interest and tax) to be up to €1 billion ($1.1 billion) as opposed to its earlier prediction that it would surpass €1 billion. Blaming the global semiconductor shortage, the firm said it still remained fully on rack to deliver an outstanding performance in 2021’. “This shortage is expected to continue impacting EV qualifications and production well into next year, resulting in a postponement of the start of commercial production in Umicore’s greenfield cathode materials plant in Nysa, Poland to the second quarter of 2022,” the firm says. “While Umicore has lowered its expectations for sales volumes of cathode materials for the second half of the year, total volumes for 2021 are still expected to well exceed the level of the previous year.”

energy storage market. “It has also revealed global opportunities within the scope of ABC’s portfolio of patents and capabilities,” says the company. “Energy storage is the major focus for Armstrong, especially in the 1MW and larger requirements found in commercial and industrial applications. ABC has identified several categories for which our proprietary technologies can provide storage including wind farms, solar farms and more conventional power generation stations. “The company is making a major commitment to help serve the rapidly growing needs for storage within these markets.” In 2015 Armstrong cofounded the consultancy

Michael Armstrong

Ineo Energy, which advises companies planning to invest in renewable energy. He has also worked in financing for renewable energy businesses and solar projects. “Mike’s experience leading development programmes and projects with several growth-focused organizations will be a great asset to our organization,” said CEO Ed Shaffer.

Global long duration storage target set by new LDES Council A new Long-Duration Energy Storage Council was create in November. It hit the ground running with a report that estimated that the world needs up to 140TWh of long-duration storage by 2040 if the world’s grids are to become net-zero. Co-authored by US battery manufacturer ESS, the report says deploying longduration systems for storing renewable power such as wind and solar-generated electricity will be key to achieving international storage targets. The LDES council is a new organization that was created to coincide with the recent COP26 climate change summit held in Scotland. It consists of energy firms and developers such as Ambri, Highview Power, ESS and

CellCube, among others. Its 76-page report, Netzero power: Long duration energy storage for a renewable grid, gives advice on how to increase long-term storage and encourages governments to support early deployment to ‘help kickstart the market’.

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NEWS

Stryten hits the acquisition trail — moves into flow batteries with Storion, snaps up Tulip Richardson Manufacturing, Gavion Lead and lithium battery maker Stryten Energy has made three acquisitions in as many months and in a surprise move for its mainstay lead battery market, is incorporating vanadium flow battery technology into its product range. The firm announced on January 19 that it had acquired Storion Energy. As well as new technology for the company it also marks a shift in markets, as redox flow batteries are used in longer-duration storage applications such as utilities, microgrids and military bases, the firm said. Storion Energy is a commercial spin-off from technology firm ITN Energy, which began its research into redox flow batteries in 2010, it says. In 2015 Storion was formed to bring the technology to market. “Storion’s VRFB design solves the energy-to-power trade-off for batteries,” says Stryten Energy, which is headquartered in Georgia, US. “Batteries available today have the potential to provide standby power for longer durations when operated at a fraction of the battery’s power rating. “In contrast, Storion’s VRFB technology expands a battery’s capabilities to operate for many hours without sacrificing its power or the speed at which it can release energy, by simply adding more electrolytes to the system.” “The clean energy transition in the US requires reliable battery solutions across multiple chemistries to meet the growing demand

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for renewable power,” said Stryten Energy CEO Tim Vargo. “The addition of Storion’s proprietary vanadium redox flow battery technology to Stryten’s portfolio of energy solutions will expand our capabilities to solve our country’s current and future energy challenges.” The Storion facility will complement Stryten’s four R&D centres in North America that focus on lead and lithium storage solutions, said Mike Judd, president and chief operating officer at Stryten Energy. Stryten has just created an Essential Power division to provide what it calls a ‘suite’ of advanced lead and lithium battery technologies and services for a range of applications, from telecommunications to microgrids, railways and renewable energy storage. “Storion’s VRFB technology will expand the portfolio of Stryten’s Essential Power division,” the company says. In early December Stryten Energy announced it had bought Tulip Richardson Manufacturing, which makes injection moulding products for the industrial and automotive lead battery industry. It means the staff headcount at Stryten will be expanded by 500. TRM has four battery component manufacturing facilities in the US, which will join Stryten Energy’s battery and component manufacturing facility footprint under the Stryten Energy company name, the firm says.

TRM, already a supplier to Stryten, was launched in March 2019, when Richardson Molding and Tulip Molded Plastics Corporation merged. As well as battery components including lead battery terminals for SLI, industrial and motive batteries, the firm makes other lead products such as ammunition and extruded lead. Its injected moulded containers include battery cases and its engineered resins are used for battery containers as well as other non-battery products. “TRM has been a valued supplier to Stryten Energy and is key to helping grow our manufacturing capacity of premier energy storage solutions,” said Stryten’s Vargo. “Stryten is committed to expanding output and maximizing capacity to deliver the materials and components that customers need.” In November, Stryten announced it had bought the vehicle power division of Galvion, a military equipment maker whose products include lithium bat-

teries for onboard systems typically used in combat vehicles such as tanks. In an announcement on November 15, Stryten said the deal had been struck just as the Biden administration was committing more money for manufacturing specialized lithiumion batteries to boost ‘military preparedness, energy security and the advancement of clean energy goals’. “Energy storage solution companies like Stryten Energy are critical to strengthening America’s supply chain and ensuring access to advanced lead and lithium battery technologies,” said Vargo. “The addition of Galvion’s extensive lithium battery knowledge to our research and development group, as well as Galvion’s Vehicle Power Division assets, will provide our customers with nextgeneration lithium battery technology.” Stryten Energy is primarily a lead battery manufacturer, and in June it joined two lead battery associations BCI and CBI.

“The addition of Storion’s proprietary vanadium redox flow battery technology to Stryten’s portfolio of energy solutions will expand our capabilities to solve our country’s current and future energy challenges.” — Tim Vargo, CEO, Stryten Energy See full interview with Tim Vargo on page 50 of this issue. Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 17

NEWS

Aztec field trials of new anti-theft battery system end successfully South African battery and engineering firm Aztec, announced late last year that its latest battery anti-theft system has completed 24 months of field testing. The inventor of the system, Dean Marcus, who is general manager and an engineer at Aztec, said the firm had recently completed the installation of more than 300 high-security battery cabinets for a local

customer. Marcus said: “Most telecoms battery anti-theft solutions suffer from the same problems: they don’t work nearly as well as advertised; they take far too long to install; they don’t protect against vandalism; and they make battery replacements almost impossible.” The problem of battery theft from unmanned lo-

cations such as telecoms towers has been a longstanding headache for the industry. The situation is exacerbated in some of the poorer areas of the world, where the value of the battery is disproportionately larger than in richer countries. The batteries typically in these locations are lithium and lead-acid ones, frequently with a cycle life

Clarios reveals smart technology for real-time performance optimization International lead battery manufacturer Clarios on January 10 said it was planning to launch an AGM battery in the next two to three years that can monitor its performance in real time and provide safety-critical operations in EVs and autonomous vehicles. Nearly every electric vehicle requires an auxiliary lead battery alongside its lithium one to provide continuous low-voltage power and safety functionality in emergencies. With the increasing addition of autonomous

features, there is a greater need to be able to rely on the auxiliary battery. “The Clarios Smart AGM will be a gamechanger for the industry, providing a reliable safety critical battery with real-time communications,” said CEO Mark Wallace. “It combines the proven reliability, inherent safe chemistry and sustainability of AGM with the realtime intelligence of our Smart technology. “Also, it will extend our Clarios xEV portfolio, a range of advanced lowvoltage batteries specifi-

cally designed to maximize EV performance, safety and reliability.” At the moment, 12V batteries are managed through an external sensor placed on top of the battery. The Smart AGM has the sensor integrated with the electronics within the battery. Clarios says its new AGM can identify potential issues in the battery before they happen; provide emergency power; anticipate required maintenance or replacement; and optimize performance of the low-voltage power supply.

Eternity Technologies’ European arm starts production in Spain Eternity Technologies, founded 10 years ago by the Al Dobowi Group and based in the United Arab Emirates, has started production at its second European subsidiary with a new factory based in Sant Esteve Sesrovires, near Barcelona in Spain. The firm will use thin tube positive plate technology in its new range of batteries. A statement from the firm said: “With an area of

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8,000m2, this is the second plant that Eternity Technologies has implemented in Europe, with an initial capacity of 240,000 traction cells in the first phase, and a planned expansion by 2023 to reach 400,000 units.” The firm said it has invested some €5 million ($6 million) in the plant and created 22 new jobs. The plant, which went live in October, made special mention of the contribution to the plant by

European battery machine manufacturers Hadi and Inbatec. Eternity said it was also presenting its new generation of batteries, QUASAR, with thin tube positive plate technology, in conjunction with carbon nanotubes in the negative plate. “This offers a high energy density, improved performance, high discharge and fast charging capabilities,” the firm said.

of between 10 to 15 years. These are expensive in themselves with a value in the low thousands of dollars but are also valuable for their components and materials — most particularly lead. The remoteness of the location typically means that regular defences against theft such as barbed wire, electric fencing and rooms surrounded by concrete and the like can be easily overcome. “The problem with this approach is that their security is only as strong as their access points,” says Marcus. “Once you crack these open, then it’s relatively easy to get at the batteries. “Some operators are using epoxy solutions where the batteries are encased in epoxy but these solutions are only mildly successful and pose a number of problems since failed batteries cannot be replaced and batteries that cannot be stolen are often simply vandalised. There is also the possibility of thermal events due to a lack of airflow.” One alternative approach, he says, has been to individually lock the batteries into a high-security enclosure. Marcus’s solutions, which have been patented, are less concerned with the materials used because simply throwing epoxy, concrete and thicker steel at the problem does not solve it. Typically each back-up power installation contains either eight to 16 lead-acid batteries or four to six lithium batteries. A complete solution including batteries could weigh in excess of 1,500kg making theft of the solution as a whole very difficult, time consuming and risky.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 19

NEWS

EUROBAT calls on EU to reconsider elements of Batteries Regulation EUROBAT in January published concerns about the EU’s Batteries Directive, which could have one of the biggest impacts on the industry for decades. In a paper jointly produced by 11 organizations in the battery and automotive industries, key concerns were laid out for the European Parliament and Council to consider. Because the new Batteries Regulation is considered a blueprint for other initiatives and includes several completely new measures, from recycled content to due diligence and carbon footprint, the firms believe that the battery sector is too important and strategic to make it a test case. “The current direction highlighted in this paper, shows that the nascent EU battery industry will face major risks of multifaceted burden, innovative ‘test’ measures with limited foundations,” says the joint response. “This ultimately threatens Europe’s strategic autonomy in that field and risks slowing down the much-needed shift to zero emissions.” One of the Battery Directive proposals is to require all EV, industrial and automotive batteries above 2kWh to use ‘minimum levels of secondary materials’ from 2030. But as EUROBAT points out, there is no way of knowing now how many secondary raw materials will be available by 2030. At the moment very little lithium battery recycling is done, so unless that improves, the necessity to source secondary materials

such as lithium ‘might cause production stops in the EU or force European manufacturers to source secondary raw materials producers from non-European producers’, EUROBAT says. “It would disproportionally benefit the import of batteries from non-EU countries where higher volumes of waste from batteries and other products for the production of secondary raw material are available,” it says.

“It must be stated that the recycled content obligation currently remains an unjustified burden on the industry and a policy contradiction. The co-legislators’ proposals on the table may even worsen the situation” “Recycled content targets incentivise the premature end-of-life of batteries and are in direct opposition to long lifetimes and second life. Conversely, measures promoting re-use, remanufacturing and repurposing would extend the lifetime of the battery and delay their recycling, reducing the total amount of batteries available for recycling and hence decreasing the availability of secondary raw materials.”

The joint response goes on to say that if material is considered as waste, the recycling outside Europe must fulfil equivalent requirements as in Europe — effectively European waste should not be dropped in another region’s backyard. “Verification and enforcement are major tasks to be tackled to ensure a sustainable battery production and recycling of waste batteries globally. “Considering the Commission’s inception impact assessment’s concluding remarks on the limited environmental benefits of recycled content for batteries for the next decade, it must be stated that the recycled content obligation currently remains an unjustified burden on the industry and a policy contradiction. “The co-legislators’ proposals on the table may even worsen the situation,” the firms say. “For instance, extending the scope to all batteries, as suggested by the European Parliament, would force the industry to compete for the same amount of available secondary raw materials to manufacture even more batteries. A very cautious approach is necessary on recycled content, including strong review clauses and safeguard measures against the risks connected to ex ante specified minimum recycled content targets. The entire process should also be simplified to reduce administrative burden, for instance by making enforcement possible by monitoring the total amount of secondary materials (lead, lithium, cobalt and nickel) used by

each company every year as an aggregated amount, instead of the recycled content of each individual battery. Another key concern raised is on design requirements, which EUROBAT says are too prescriptive and do not allow for evolving technological progress. “Requirements to design batteries in a specific way, as proposed, could lead to several major negative consequences that seem so far underestimated or unassessed, for example, limits to necessary safety, lifetime or performance requirements,” the paper says. “EU regulation should reflect and keep pace with evolving technological progress, including chemistry improvements, and should avoid technical lock-in effects, especially as the sector quickly develops. “The Regulation should set the general targets, while it should leave the designchoices on how to get to those targets to the industry.” Other key points raised by EUROBAT include too stringent material recovery targets; superfluous hazardous substances restrictions (which would duplicate the existing REACH restrictions); and that a proposal to measure the carbon footprint of all batteries should be applied to specific battery chemistries rather than a one-size-fits-all policy. “We call on co-legislators in the European Parliament and Council to consider fully the global battery market’s diversity and fast pace, and to only introduce new ambitions if their impacts have been fully assessed,” says the joint response.

If material is considered as waste, recycling outside Europe must fulfil equivalent requirements as in Europe — effectively European waste should not be dropped in another region’s backyard 20 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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NEWS ABC’s GreenSeal batteries selected to power EV charging plazas across the US

Gridtential signs agreement with Luminous Power to evaluate Silicon Joule technology

Advanced Battery Concepts’ GreenSeal bipolar batteries will power thousands of solar EV charging plazas across the US installed by the EV charging station developer GreenCore, ABC announced on January 24. By the end of the decade this could amount to around 10,000 plazas, GreenCore said. The batteries will be charged by solar panels at each plaza, which have been designed to supplement grid energy with solar energy, ABC’s CEO Ed Shaffer says. “The batteries are used to charge EVs to avoid high time-of-use charges and minimize interconnect charges,” he says. “The grid is available to ensure batteries are fully charged

Luminous Power Technologies announced on December 7 it had signed a formal evaluation agreement with bipolar battery firm Gridtential Energy. Luminous — an Indian subsidiary of Schneider Electric — will evaluate a combination of 6V and 24V Silicon Joule reference batteries and build prototypes as a preliminary step towards future production. “Luminous brings decades of experience to the validation process as it evaluates impact on cycle life, energy density, battery efficiency. Charging rates and manufacturability,” the announcement said. “India is an extremely important market for us and we’re proud to be working with the country’s top battery manufactur-

and power is available to charge EVs.” He said that the plazas would in general be convenience charging sites for ‘customers on the go’, and that each site would typically have between 150 kWh and 350kWh storage systems. In November ABC launched its home emergency energy storage system (HEES), which supports grid-connected residential electricity users by providing around two days of power for vital applications such as refrigeration and heating. The system was developed by ABC to address what it sees as a growing need for safe and reliable emergency power in homes and small businesses.

Gravita opens 19,500 tonnes a year lead battery recycling plant in India Indian recycling firm Gravita on December 13 said it had opened a new battery recycling plant at Mundra Port in the Indian state of Gujarat. The company said it had ‘announced operationalization of its new battery recycling unit’ at the port, which was strategically located and equipped with the latest technology and automated processes. In its first phase, after an investment of Rs32 crore ($4.2 million), it will produce 19,500 tonnes of lead a year, the company said. Ultimately the plant will produce 48,000 tonnes a year. “Gravita is expecting an increase in its share of higher-margin business from the key overseas market across the lead, aluminium and plastic recycling segments,” the firm said. “Closer prox-

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imity to the port will increase the efficiency of operations. “This will result in the optimization of logistics costs

coupled with a reduction in the working capital cycle of the company.” Gravita is also to increase its lead recycling operations

ers to support demand for renewable and reliable energy in homes, businesses and vehicles,” said Gridtential CEO John Barton. The fact that Luminous sells its batteries in 35 countries means a successful evaluation could bring Gridtential’s technology to markets in South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Gridtential has development agreements with 14 battery makers already in place including East Penn Manufacturing, which is making the Silicon Joule batteries on a prototype line. In June, Gridtential signed an agreement with Taiwanese battery company Pilot to evaluate a combination of 6V and 24V Silicon Joule batteries. in Ghana, analytics firm and data provider, Davis Index, reported on December 6. Its subsidiary Recyclers Ghana plans to increase the production capacity of its lead recycling plant from 12,000 tonnes a year to 16,200 tonnes, it said.

Monbat announces partnership with UK’s Alpha House Bulgarian battery firm Monbat on January 18 announced it had signed a partnership agreement with the UK firm Alpha House, which provides ‘consultative intelligent power solutions’ across several markets and industries across the UK and Ireland. In a joint announcement, the companies said the terms of agreement are that Alpha House will be Monbat’s exclusive manufacturing partner, service provider and distributor throughout

the UK, “to facilitate the expansion of products and services to existing and future customers and emerging markets alike”. Alpha House makes and distributes batteries across a range of sectors and applications, including UPS, solar and wind, telecoms, EVs and mobility. In other news, Monbat on January 25 confirmed it had joined the Consortium for Battery Innovation. “The main priorities of Monbat in the collaboration with CBI will

be the commercialization of bipolar batteries, deepening the circularity principles’ application in the lead-acid sector and the proactive collaboration with the renewables’ business for increasing the share of BESS in the global energy system,” the firm said. “Monbat and CBI will cooperate in the field of research and solutions for the reduction of greenhouse gases generated in lead battery production and in the energy sector in general.”

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 21

NEWS

India’s lead battery sector to rely on used cars for short term As many countries shift towards restricting new car sales to electric vehicles, the lead battery market in India is seeing huge potential in the used car industry, which is expected to have more than 7 million by 2025, almost double the size of the sector in 2020-21. Quoting the OLX AutosCrisil Study 2021, ILZDA said the pre-owned car market was expecting growth in 2022 with ‘the Covid-19 pandemic, digitalization, changing demographics and aspirations, first-time buyers, and availability of financing options acting as growth drivers’. “The pre-owned market has been outpacing the new car market and the industry is expected to clock a healthy growth rate of 15% in FY22,” the report says. Indian publication Autocar India said on December 13 that car maker Kia had confirmed it would set up a used car business in the country next year when its new cars would be around

companies such as Amara Raja and Exide Industries are reluctant to move too early into wide-scale lithium battery production, partly because of the investment needed to set up plants, partly because of the continuing demand for lead batteries. However, the move is more a case of when than if. “The EV market is still nascent, and the technology is still evolving,” it says. “Therefore, moving in too quickly to capitalize on the opportunity could mean low returns for years, before EVs become mainstream.

“While battery companies have accepted the shift to EVs, they still remain cautious about moving in too early.” The magazine quotes Exide Industries’ CEO Subir Chakraborty as saying his company had been operating for 75 years of the 100 that lead-acid batteries had been on the market, “so I don’t think that lead-acid batteries would be scooped out by lithium-ion one fine morning.” The Indian government has set a target for at least 65% of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030, says ILZDA.

Lead batteries set for largest growth in aircraft sector by 2030

owing to the increasing concerns for aviation emissions, followed by the surge in shipments of different types of aircrafts, are anticipated to drive the demand for aircraft batteries, and in turn accelerate the market growth,” it says. “In the EU, air transport has seen progressive growth with air freight and mail transport becoming key sub-sectors,” says the ILA. “With this huge carriage of people and goods, the aircraft industry has a vital role in supporting Europe’s economic growth, while keeping Europeans moving safely.” Lead alloys are used in all aircraft as soldering materials in their electronics systems.

The International Lead Association on December 31 flagged up a report earlier in the month, which predicts lead batteries will experience the most growth of all battery types when it comes to the global aircraft industry, with a revenue of $560 million by 2030. This is a jump from the $290 million recorded in 2020, according to the Research and Markets report Global Aircraft Battery Market Outlook 20212030: Growing Adoption of UAVs & Increasing Concerns for Aviation Emissions Driving Demand.

three years old ± about the age when some cars begin needing new batteries. Autocar India says Kia’s Seltos model is turning three years old — “so the carmaker wouldn’t want to lose the customers who are looking to replace the SUV with rival brands. Hence, setting up its own used car business will help Kia with conquest sales,” it says. Another major market for lead batteries in India is the two and three-wheeler sectors, which are still opting for lead batteries rather than lithium-ion. According to a report by the magazine Swarajya,

The North American market is expected to register the largest revenue, of $390 million by the end of 2030, up from $290 million in 2020. The total aircraft battery market is estimated to garner a revenue of $1,070 million by the end of 2030, which means the lead battery industry will take just over half. Lead batteries are still the most common type used in general aviation aircraft and are used for emergency power, auxiliary power and functions such as lights. The Boeing 777, for ex-

22 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

ample, has three lead batteries to provide back-up power for fly-by-wire avionics in case of emergency. Fly-by-wire systems are semi-automatic, computerregulated flight control systems that replace mechanical operations. Increasing advances in battery technology and a growing focus on developing efficiency to meet operational challenges are other factors driving market growth, Research and Markets says. “Factors such as the growing adoption of unmanned aerial vehicles worldwide,

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NEWS

EU chemicals authorization bid ‘could hit battery investments’, industry leaders warn European proposals that would require lead to be listed on a chemicals ‘authorization’ register could trigger a batteries “investment freeze” and derail EU carbon reduction plans, industry leaders have warned. The European Chemicals Agency is proposing that lead metal be added to its REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) list — indicating that the substance will eventually be substituted and can only be used in the meantime with specific permission from the European Commission. But the Lead REACH Consortium has called for the proposals to be dropped or risk threatening a wide range of EU industries, from battery manufacturers to metal re-

cyclers. The consortium — which represents more than 90 companies involved in the mining, smelting, refining and recycling of lead, as well as manufacturers of lead compounds and producers of lead-based automotive and industrial batteries — said existing “highly effective risk management measures” already limit risks presented by lead exposure. Consortium chair and sustainability director at non-ferrous metals provider Aurubis Beerse, Inge Maes, said the proposed authorization process was “a blunt and bureaucratic tool”. The move would hit a “broad range of essential industries that are delivering services and products that are supporting EU ‘Green Deal’ objectives,

Gravita closes Perufocused subsidiary Indian lead producer and recycler Gravita said in a February 3 regulatory filing it had closed a subsidiary entity set up to consider the potential for a manufacturing operation in Peru. Company secretary Nitin Gupta said in the filing to the Securities and Exchange Board of India that the ‘step down’ subsidiary — Gravita Peru SAC — was one of several entities established to evaluate potential future projects in a number of countries. However, there have been no operating activities and so the directors decided to close the entity, Gupta said. An annual report of Gravita subsidiaries, published by the company on March 31, last year, said

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the Peru entity was still “in the development phase”. As of that date, only market research activities were planned to assess the potential for setting up a manufacturing plant in the country, the report said. The International Lead and Zinc Study Group said during an online conference on October 19, 2020, that Covid-19 related restrictive measures had severely impacted the mining industry in a number of countries, including Peru. Gravita reported last December that it had opened a new battery recycling plant at Mundra Port in the Indian state of Gujarat. The plant will ultimately produce 48,000 tonnes of lead a year.

Inge Maes: ‘Lead is an essential raw material’

such as reducing climate change and enhancing circularity”, Maes said. “Lead is an essential raw material that is safely recycled and used in advanced

manufacturing facilities across Europe, which comply with or aim to exceed EU legislation designed to manage any risks.” The proposal would hit the EU’s advanced battery manufacturing sector, where about 90% of lead is used — with 80% coming from waste batteries collected and safely recycled at end-of-life, the consortium said. In addition to batteries, lead is a “vital raw material” for industries producing cables linking wind farms to grids, solar panel systems and enabling recycling of other metals and transition technology elements, the consortium said.

Ukrainian accumulator starter battery manufacturer is LOOKING

FOR A SPECIALIST IN THE FIELD OF CHARGE FORMATION OF LEAD ACID BATTERIES. For mutual beneficial cooperation on the basis of a contract. To provide consultation services on site in order to improve charge formation process of accumulator batteries, and to decrease self-discharge of accumulator batteries during charge formation via water baths and Inbatec modules. Also we need consultation regarding battery formation with impulse current.

Contact: Roman Kostenko email: sales_eu@megatex.ua Pavel Steblovtsev, Production Director email: paulstebl@gmail.com

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 23

NEWS

Reports say cost of lithium batteries could fuel demand for lead acid The soaring cost of lithiumion batteries could prompt fresh demand for lead-acid in 2022, various news media including Reuters and Bloomberg have said, citing a report by the Chinese research firm Antaike. Quoting Antaike analyst Zhang Zhiwei, who spoke at the China Lead and Zinc Conference between

December 14-17, Reuters said while the price of lead had stabilized, lithium had picked up very quickly. Battery-grade lithium carbonate in China has quadrupled in price in 2021 to a record high of $36,514/ tonne because of resurgent demand in the EV sector, it says. Lead, however, gained just 5% on the Shanghai Fu-

tures Exchange and in fact has been the worst performing base metal. “EVs are very much sensitive to the price of lithium batteries… In 2022, I believe there must be some comeback (for lead) because of the price gap,” Zhang said. “However, the global refined lead market surplus is

expected to see a surplus of 95,000 tonnes in 2022, widening from a 19,000-tonne overhang this year, due to a strong rise in secondary lead output.” The lead concentrate market will also see a bigger surplus next year of 57,000 tonnes, compared to 40,000 tonnes in 2021, Zhang said.

BCI welcomes US initiative to remove excise taxes on battery materials Battery Council International has backed the USA Batteries Act, introduced on December 9 by US representatives, to remove excise taxes on substances used in lead battery manufacturing. The move follows president Joe Biden on November 15 signing into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which levied taxes on domestically produced lead oxide, antimony and sulfuric acid. This gave foreign producers an advantage over US ones because they are exempt from paying the tax. The Infrastructure Act reinstated a Superfund Chemical fee on 42 substances in total, at twice the previous tax rates. The USA Batteries Act was introduced by Republican representatives Dan Meuser, John Moolenaar, Vicky Hartzler and Billy Long, and aims to remove the tax for domestic producers. “This tax hike on American battery manufacturers reduces America’s competitiveness and kills good manufacturing jobs,” said Meuser. “At a time when small businesses are reeling from supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and higher prices, this new and unnecessary tax would be

detrimental to the industry. “Repealing this tax ensures this industry can continue to thrive without facing stiffened competition from foreign producers who have a competitive advantage because they aren’t subject to the tax.” “The USA Batteries Act will eliminate a tax that gives foreign manufacturers an unfair advantage on the

cost of raw materials, and undermines the purpose of the infrastructure bill which was created to support domestic manufacturing,” said Roger Miksad, Battery Council International executive vice president and general counsel. “If the tax is allowed to stand it will negatively impact the 25,000 American workers who make and

recycle lead batteries and take pride in the fact that their product is the most recycled consumer product in the US.” BCI says the lead battery industry invested $100 million in research and development in 2019. It expects the energy storage market to grow from 360GWh in 2020 to 430GWh by 2030.

Creation of new LDES Council results in first global long duration storage report A new Long-Duration Energy Storage Council report published in November has estimated that the world needs up to 140TWh of long-duration storage by 2040 if the world’s grids are to become net-zero. Co-authored by US battery manufacturer ESS, the report says deploying longduration systems for storing renewable power such as wind and solar-generated electricity will be key to achieving international storage targets. The LDES council is a new organization that was created to coincide with the recent COP26 climate change summit held in Scotland. It consists of energy firms and developers such as Ambri, Highview

24 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Power, ESS and CellCube, among others. Its 76-page report, Netzero power: Long duration energy storage for a renewable grid, gives advice on how to increase long-term storage and encourages governments to support early deployment to ‘help kick-start the market’. “LDES offers a lower-cost flexibility solution in many — but not all — situations,” it says. “A diversified suite of solutions is likely to be deployed in order to achieve a cost-optimal decarbonization of the grid by 2040. “The prize of deploying LDES at scale, however, is great. It is estimated that by 2040, LDES deployment could result in the

avoidance of 1.5 to 2.3 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, around 10% to 15% of today’s power sector emissions. “In the US alone, LDES could reduce the overall cost of achieving a fully decarbonized power system by around $35 billion annually by 2040.” The report says major reductions in the cost of technologies will be needed before this order of scale can be realized — “but projections by LDES Council member companies show these are achievable and in line with learning curves experienced in other nascent energy technologies in the recent past, including solar photovoltaic and wind power.”

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NEWS

Rombat announces record battery sales and lead recycling levels Romania’s Rombat announced two milestones on January 20 — record high sales of lead batteries and the largest amount of lead it has ever recycled and reintroduced into the manufacturing process. Rombat, which is owned by South Africa-based automotive and energy storage group, Metair Investments, said it sold 2.65 million car batteries in 2021. This was a 15% increase over the previous year. The battery maker also recovered around 13,000 tonnes of lead from bat-

teries recycled at its Copsa Mica processing plant — where it annually recovers 98% of the lead from used batteries collected from the market. Rombat CEO Alin Ioanes described 2021 as “both a year of records and challenges”. In 2022, Rombat plans to increase its lead battery production capacity, while investing an estimated €4 million ($4.5 million) in a solar energy project to reduce the carbon footprint of the company’s production process.

Lead batteries set for ‘wide adoption’ as China expands backup power Lead acid batteries will play a key role supporting a likely expansion of backup power facilities in China as the country invests in infrastructure modernization including 5G telecoms, according to latest analysis. The International Lead and Zinc Study Group’s (ILZSG) January 10 briefing paper — Future Trends in China’s Economic Development — said the country’s 14th five-year plan included a focus on developing data centres, cloud computing and the “digitization of traditional infrastructures such as energy and utilities”. The paper said: “A secure and reliable power supply is of paramount importance in ensuring the stable operation of these modern infrastructures, and this provides opportunities for zinc and lead containing batteries. “It is also anticipated that lead acid batteries will be widely adopted in power backup facilities.” The paper noted that other battery types are also “vying for the growth potential in these sectors” — but said

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“zinc and lead containing batteries could be an ideal option for wide adoption, thanks to their improving energy density and low cost”. China’s demand for imported lead ore and concentrates over the past 20 years has bolstered the international trading market and provided strong support for overseas lead mining activities, according to the ILZSG. Between 2004 and 2020, China bought 20%-40% of the lead ore and concentrate produced outside the country. However, the ILZSG said as China embraces stricter emissions policies — with a pledge to reach a carbon peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 — non-ferrous metals companies, including lead and zinc smelting and refining operations, “will be put under strict scrutiny”. This is “very likely to result in higher operational costs and the requirement for cleaner raw materials when importing ores and concentrates.”

Ioanes said the company has already applied for funding from the European Union to support the solar project. Meanwhile, Ioanes said he wants to expand Rombat’s sales of lithium ion batteries to develop its position as a supplier to the energy storage market. Ioanes forecast that, over the next three-to-five years, “we will see a resettlement of the market with an obvious trend of growth in the area of hybrid and electric vehicles.” However, a Metair

spokesperson told Batteries International the group was still going ahead with plans to switch the production of lithium batteries by Rombat in Romania to Metair’s Mutlu Akü lead battery subsidiary in Turkey. Metair said last year its lithium products would benefit from “Mutlu’s brand strength and operational expertise, as well as its access and positioning within a growing market for lithium ion products and will benefit from recently available incentives that will recover the initial investment.

Indian court extends suspension of Amara Raja battery plant closure A court in India has again extended an interim suspension of orders seeking to close production plants operated by Amara Raja Batteries until February 15 according to… The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board had issued closure orders in 2021 for the lead battery group’s plants at Karakambadi, Tirupati and Nunegundlapalli, in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state, amid allegations involving environmental regulations. However, the Andhra Pradesh High Court issued the further suspension of the orders on February 4 —

scheduling another hearing to be held into the matter on February 15. Company secretary Vikas Sabharwal said in a regulatory filing that Amara Raja continued to “place the highest priority on the environment, health and safety” of its workforce and communities around its plants. The High Court has suspended the closure orders at several hearings since early last year, after Amara Raja warned last May that closures of any of its facilities could have a ‘calamitous’ impact on back-up power supplies for India’s hospitals and other essential services.

Digatron unveils partnership with Safion for battery diagnosis tests Battery testing and formation company — known for both lead and lithium products — Digatron announced a partnership on January 18 to support battery diagnosis technology firm Safion’s push into international markets. Digatron said it was joining forces with the fellow Aachen, Germany-based

company for knowledge exchange and to support the ramping up of Safion’s global sales. Safion, which was formed in 2019 out of research into lithium-ion batteries at RWTH Aachen University, uses its proprietary innovative measurement technology for battery quality assessment and diagnosis.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 25

ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Lithium metal firm SES plans South Korea batteries plant US-based lithium metal batteries developer SES revealed plans on February 10 to expand its presence in Asia by building a preproduction batteries facility in South Korea. SES, which unveiled the “world’s largest” 107Ah Li-metal battery, ‘Apollo’, last November, said it had set up its SES Korea sub-

sidiary, but did not disclose details about the cost, schedule or production capacity of the project. SES Korea will become the firm’s second major operation outside of the US after SES Shanghai Giga — the Chinese gigafactory that is scheduled for completion in 2023. Company founder and

CEO Qichao Hu said: “It’s all about speed and winning the race. Momentum is building as additional auto OEMs want to establish arrangements for the joint development of A-sample batteries with SES.” South Korea is home to several of SES’s key partners including Hyundai

Motor Company, SK and the LG Corporation. SES, formerly known as SolidEnergy Systems, signed a separator materials supply deal with USbased Entek in December 2021 to support the development and production of high-energy EV batteries. Earlier this year, SES confirmed the signing of an agreement with Honda for joint R&D to commercialize next-generation EV batteries.

Pecho LD applies for permission to build 3,200MWh CAES facility

Vinnova approves funding for hydroenergy storage in mines

Hydrostor affiliate company Pecho LD Energy Storage has applied to develop a 400MW/3,200MWh compressed air storage facility in San Luis Obispo County, California, the company announced on November 23. The facility, if granted approval by the California Energy Commission, will help to meet the region’s energy demands after the 2,200 Diablo Canyon power plant is decommissioned in 2024/2025. “Pecho’s ability to flexibly deliver 400MW of stored energy, every hour, for eight hours, without relying on fossil fuels or other polluting resources would make the project one of California’s largest single new energy storage facilities,” the firm says. “Pecho would surpass all existing battery energy storage projects in California in terms of both megawatts delivered and duration of generation, with an expected capital investment of approximately $800 million.” The facility will be connected at an existing switching station at Morro Bay, and serve California and the Central Coast. “Pecho’s emissions-free operations will play a vital role in helping meet Cali-

Vinnova, which describes itself as Sweden’s innovation agency, agreed in December to fund an energy storage concept where abandoned mines could be used as hydropower facilities. Led by Swedish grid-scale energy storage company Mine Storage, an international consortium has been granted an undisclosed sum by the government agency to finalize a blueprint for what it says could be the world’s first commercial underground mine storage facility. The blueprint will give details of a facility in Bergslagen in Sweden that will include everything from the initial landowner and authority approval to the grid-connected energy storage supply. “The grant is a clear indication of the increased interest in the global potential of using abandoned mines for energy storage,” said Thomas Johansson, cofounder and CEO of Mine Storage in an announcement on December 7. “The world needs to store produced energy and the most efficient way is pumped storage hydropower. However, most countries lack the height differences required in the landscape for storage facilities above ground. This is where mine storage comes in.

fornia’s future power supply needs and significantly reducing the frequency of large-scale blackouts,” said the company. Hydrostor owns a number of similar A-CAES (Advanced Compressed Air Energy Storage) projects,

including the Broken Hill energy storage centre in New South Wales in Australia. The others are the Gem Energy Storage Center, also in California; Goderich ACAES in Ontario, Canada; and Toronto A-CAES.

Energy Dome closes funding for inflatable CO2 energy storage dome Italian energy storage firm Energy Dome on November 30 closed an $11 million series ‘A’ fundraise that it will use to build a CO2 battery demonstration project in Sardinia. Energy Dome says its battery, which is solar and wind charged, can discharge energy for four to 24 hours. It has a life expectancy of around 25 years. The dome is an inflatable atmospheric gas holder filled with CO2 in its gaseous form. Inside the dome, the CO2 changes from gas to liquid and back to gas in a closed-loop cycle. The system uses power from the electric grid to feed a motor, which drives a compressor that draws CO2 from the dome and compresses it, generating heat, which is stored in a thermal energy storage device. The CO2 is then liquefied under pressure and stored

26 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

in liquid CO2 vessels to complete the cycle. When discharging, the cycle is reversed by evaporating the liquid CO2 and recovering the heat from the thermal storage system. This expands the hot gas into a turbine, which drives a generator. Electricity is returned to the grid and the CO2 reinflates the dome, ready for the next charging cycle. With its 200MWh storage capacity, the dome system can be used for utilities, independent power producers, grid operators, remote mining operations and industrial applications. The funding round for Energy Dome was led by Barclays’ Sustainable Impact Capital programme. The first commercial project has been proposed between Italian firm A2A and Energy Dome to deploy a 100MWh CO2 battery for grid storage.

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Tesla ‘plans safety retrofit for Megapacks’ after Victorian Big Battery fire Tesla is to retrofit its Megapack energy storage systems with new safety measures in the wake of a fire in 2021 at the Victorian Big Battery (VBB) facility in Australia, according to an independent report into the incident published on January 25. A single Megapack (MP-1) at the VBB caught fire and spread to a neighboring unit (MP-2) during the initial installation and commissioning of the 300 MW grid-scale system on July 30, according to the report by engineering and energy storage fire safety consultants Fisher Engineering and the Energy Safety Response Group. A separate, initial report into the fire released last year said the incident was caused by coinciding short circuits in two locations that were “likely initiated by a coolant leak”. However, the latest technical findings identified a “weakness in the thermal roof design that permits Megapack-to-Megapack fire propagation” — and said the fire was exacerbated by strong winds. “These two factors led to direct flame impingement on the plastic overpressure vents that seal the battery bay from the thermal roof,” the report said. “With a direct path for flames and hot gases to enter into the battery bays, the cells within the battery modules of MP-2 failed and became involved in the fire.” Since the fire, Tesla has devised thermally insulated steel vent shields to

protect the overpressure vents from direct flame impingement or hot gas intrusion. According to the report, tests have shown that with the new vent shields in place — “even with the Megapack’s thermal roof fully involved in a fire — the overpressure vents will not ignite and the battery modules remain relatively unaffected with internal cell temperatures rising less than 1°C”. The vent shields will be placed on top of the overpressure vents and will “come as standard” on all new Megapack installations. The new shields can be easily installed in the field for existing facilities — and the shields were “nearing production stage” as the report was released, to be “retrofitted to applicable Megapack sites shortly”. In terms of the fire’s origin, the report said the most likely root cause was a leak within the liquid cooling system of MP-1, causing arcing in the power electronics of the battery modules. This resulted in heating of the battery module’s lithium ion cells, which led to a propagating thermal runaway event and the fire. MP-1’s failure to transmit telemetry data such as fault alarms to Tesla’s offsite control facility was another contributory factor, the report said. The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for a Megapack required 24 hours to set up a connection for a new Megapack to

provide full data functionality and remote monitoring. However, as VBB was still in the installation and commissioning phase and not in operation, MP-1 had only been in service for 13 hours prior to being switched off via a keylock switch on the morning of the fire. As such, MP-1 had not been online for the required 24 hours, which prevented this unit from transmitting telemetry data. “This prevented some of the safety features of MP-1 from actively monitoring and interrupting the electrical fault conditions before escalating into a fire event,” the report said. In addition, the exposure of liquid coolant onto the battery modules “likely disabled” the power supply to the circuit that activates actuates the pyro disconnect — Tesla’s proprietary shunt-controlled pyrotechnic fuse that allows for rapid one-time actuation. Since the VBB fire, the report said Tesla has modified its commissioning procedures to reduce the telemetry setup connection time for new Megapacks from 24 hours to one hour and to avoid utilizing the Megapack’s keylock switch unless the unit is actively being serviced. The VBB which is operated by a subsidiary of French renewables developer, Neoen, comprises a total of 212 Megapacks. Only half of the units had been fitted at the time of the fire.

Photo credit: County Fire Authority

28 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

Lithium battery shortages forcing rethink on manufacturing strategy, says report “Acute shortages” in the lithium batteries market will continue into the first half of this year, amid rising fears about global trade restrictions and “geopolitical fallouts” between the US and China, according to a report released on February 1. US-based software delivery and licensing analysts Beroe said battery pack prices “have shot up 40% in

the US and 60% in Europe”, forcing large consumers to rethink manufacturing strategy and design components to accommodate rising prices and shortages. According to Beroe, restrictions in manufacturing, strict lockdowns and trade embargoes have adversely impacted the battery pack and semi-conductor industry. The “added burden of

Iron-based flow battery in Oregon demonstration testing

SunPower Corp launches VPP for residential customers

Iron-based flow battery storage company ESS said on January 13 it is to deploy its technology in the US state of Oregon under a test and demonstration agreement. ESS will supply its 3MWh Energy Center system — expected to come online later this year — under a deal with the state’s energy company, Portland General Electric (PGE). The system, to be sited adjacent to ESS’ factory headquarters in Wilsonville, will be used to demonstrate frequency response, contingency reserve, voltage and VAR (volt-amp reactance) support, demand response and resource optimization. PGE’s senior manager of Grid Edge Solutions, Darren Murtaugh, said: “Our collaboration with ESS will provide important learnings on our path to meeting our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.” ESS describes its Energy Center as a “battery-in-abuilding” platform, designed for utility-scale, front-of-meter applications, which decouples power and storage capacity to enable up to gigawatt-scale projects, with variable storage durations ranging up to 12 hours.

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Solar and energy firm SunPower Corp has launched a virtual power plant for its SunVault customers, it said on November 16. The lithium iron phosphate batteries are produced in 13kWh or 26kWh sizes and when they detect utility disruptions they switch automatically to the back-up storage in customers’ individual homes. “During hours of peak energy demand, like a hot summer day when many air conditioning units turn on at the same time, utilities

environmental concerns has amplified the issue”. Beroe senior analyst Saptaparni Kundu said: “Shortterm predictions for lithium battery-dependent companies continue to be turbulent. The larger corporations have started taking steps to reduce lithium usage by chip-based design, but concrete manufacturing and facility management processes are yet to

need additional resources to meet increased demand and simultaneous energy needs,” says SunPower. “VPPs can enable utilities to extract this energy from efficient, renewable energy resources like distributed solar and energy storage, and disperse it among all grid-connected customers to create a more stable and sustainable source of power.” “With battery storage, homeowners gain energy independence and control for their household, even as

be viable.There seems to be no respite from rising costs, lead time delays and shortages due to demand-supply gap in the short-term scenario.” Kundu said “some relief” could be expected in the market by the end of 2022, but added: “The future trends are clear — a new product base that reduces dependency on China as the supplier of raw materials.”

blackouts and power shutoffs increase,” said Peter Faricy, CEO of SunPower. “Now with the SunPower VPP, our customers can choose to participate in programs that will help stabilize the grid for their community while simultaneously offsetting the cost of their system. Citizens and utilities working together to provide reliable and renewable energy is the future of the grid.” SunPower is based in California, where every year wildfires knock out power grids on a regular basis.

India’s Reliance Industry to acquire UK sodium ion firm Faradion UK sodium-ion battery tech developer, Faradion, said on December 31 it was being acquired by a subsidiary of India’s Reliance Industries for £100 million ($135 million). Reliance New Energy Solar (RNES) has signed definitive agreements for the deal, which includes debt — and RNES will also invest £25 million to accelerate commercial rollout of Sheffieldbased Faradion’s technology. Reliance will use Faradion’s tech at its proposed energy storage gigafactory in India — one of four such facilities in Jamnagar — for which the company announced plans last June. Another of the facilities

will be a dedicated battery production plant. Reliance Industries chairman, Mukesh Ambani, said Faradion’s technology “has wide use applications from mobility to grid-scale storage and backup power”. “Most importantly, it utilizes sodium, which will secure India’s energy storage requirements for its large renewable energy and fastgrowing EV charging market.” Faradion CEO James Quinn said: “Together with Reliance, Faradion can bring British innovation to India and globally, as the world increasingly looks beyond lithium.” The Faradion deal follows

RNES’ acquisition last year of a 100% stake in Norwaybased solar power group, REC Solar Holdings. RNES is also jointly investing a total of $144 million (about £104 million) in US liquid metal battery storage developer, Ambri, with Microsoft founder Bill Gates, investment management firm Paulson & Co and others. Separately, Scotland-based lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells developer, AMTE Power, said last year it would be granted a licence to manufacture and sell sodium-ion cells using Faradion’s technology, to be incorporated into battery packs for energy storage systems.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 29

GIGAFACTORY NEWS

GM joint venture with LG Chem invests $2.6 billion for third US EV battery plant The Ultium Cells joint venture of General Motors and LG Energy Solution revealed plans on January 25 to invest $2.6 billion to build its third battery cell manufacturing plant in the US. Lansing in Michigan has been selected to host the site — part of an overall investment of more than $7 billion for GM, as the car giant ramps up its own battery cell and electric truck manufacturing capacity across

four Michigan manufacturing sites. In Lansing, Ultium Cells expects to start site preparations this summer on land leased from GM, with battery cell production scheduled to begin in a 2.8 million-square-foot facility in late 2024. Ultium Lansing will have 50GWh of production when running at full capacity and will supply battery cells to GM assembly plants including Orion Assembly — GM’s

third US assembly plant being transformed for production of Ultium-powered electric vehicles. The Lansing site joins Ultium’s battery cell manufacturing sites being built in the US states of Ohio and Tennessee. Ohio is scheduled for completion this year and Tennessee is set to open in late 2023. Ultium cells use a proprietary chemistry featuring LG Chem’s NCMA (nickelcobalt-manganese-alumini-

um) cathode, which requires 70% less cobalt than existing NCM cells. The joint venture said its batteries are “unique in the industry” because the large-format, pouch-style cells can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. Energy options range from 50kWh to 200kWh, which Ultium said could enable a GM-estimated EV range of up to 450 miles or more on a full charge with 0-60 milesper-hour in three seconds.

Northvolt and Volvo choose Gothenburg for lithium JV Swedish gigafactory developer Northvolt and Volvo Cars announced on February 4 that Gothenburg will be the site for a new battery cell manufacturing plant and R&D centre. The announcement came after the companies signed off on plans last December to launch a 50-50 joint venture, as part of a Skr30

billion ($3.2 billion) investment project to develop batteries for Volvo. The new plant at Torslanda, Gothenburg, will have a potential annual cell production capacity of up to 50 GWh. Construction will start in 2023 and the site will produce state-of-the-art battery cells, specifically

Glencore steps up with increased investment in UK’s Britishvolt UK gigafactory developer Britishvolt said on February 15 it had secured the further backing of existing investor, Glencore, to launch a £200 million ($270 million) funding round. Britishvolt confirmed in a Tweet that the mining giant would be the cornerstone investor in its series C financing round — committing £40 million. The announcement came after the companies unveiled plans on February 3 to launch a battery recycling joint venture in the UK — as Britishvolt moves ahead with plans for its £2.6 billion gigafactory in Blyth, north-east England. The joint venture aims to develop “a world-leading ecosystem for battery recycling in the UK”, based alongside Glencore’s exist-

ing Britannia Refined Metals operation in Northfleet, Kent. The recycling plant is set to start up by the middle of next year. It will have a minimum annual processing capacity of 10,000 tonnes of lithium ion batteries and be “100% powered by renewable energy in the long term”, the partners said. Britishvolt was given approval to build its gigafactory last July. The plant should open in 2024 and produce enough cells each year for more than 300,000 EV battery packs. Glencore first made an undisclosed investment in Britishvolt in August 2021. The partners said then that the investment was part of a long-term partnership for the supply of responsiblysourced cobalt.

30 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

developed for use in nextgeneration pure electric Volvo and Polestar cars. The R&D centre will be close to Volvo Cars’ own R&D operations and to Northvolt’s existing innovation campus – Northvolt Labs in Västerås. Former Tesla executive Adrian Clarke has been appointed to lead the joint venture’s production company.

Meanwhile, Volvo expects to source 15 GWh of battery cells each year from Northvolt’s Ett lithium ion battery plant in Skellefteå, Sweden, starting in 2024. Northvolt confirmed in June 2021 that it had raised $2.75 billion in equity to expand planned annual production capacity of Northvolt Ett from 40 GWh to 60 GWh.

Verkor selects Dunkirk for first gigafactory French lithium-ion battery cells developer, Verkor, said on February 1 it had chosen the port city of Dunkirk to build its first electric vehicle battery cells gigafactory. Verkor, which is backed by companies including the Renault Group, said construction of the plant, in northern France, is scheduled to start next year. The first delivery of “lowcarbon high performance batteries” made in Dunkirk is scheduled for July 2025. Manufacturing capacity at the new plant is expected to expand from 16 GWh in 2025 to 50 GWh by 2030. Dunkirk was “the most promising site” out of 40 considered in France, Spain and Italy, Verkor said.

The site will span more than 150 hectares and, when operational, will supply companies including Renault. Verkor said its R&D activities will continue to be based in Grenoble, in south-eastern France, where construction has already started on the Verkor Innovation Centre. Dunkirk is now also home to what French battery manufacturer Saft has said is the country’s largest energy storage facility. The commissioning of the 61 MW / 61 MWh facility, for which Saft designed and assembled 27 containers of 2.5 MWh Liion batteries, was announced on December 21, 2021.

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GIGAFACTORY NEWS

Auto giants in driving seat for Europe’s gigafactory plans Major automakers are driving the momentum of battery cell manufacturing in Europe – with the first battery cell already produced at what will be one of the region’s leading gigafactories, according to new analysis published on February 15 by CIC energiGUNE. Tracking by CIC — the electrochemical and thermal energy storage research center backed by the government of Spain’s autonomous Basque region — highlights the role of major automakers in fueling investment to help drive progress in Europe’s nascent battery cells industry. CIC said Northvolt, which is backed by companies including Volkswagen, announced the assembly of the first battery cell at its gigafactory in Sweden on December 29, 2021, which the battery developer itself hailed as “a new chapter in European industrial history”. In addition, Northvolt is reaching other agreements with large automotive OEMs, including building a joint battery cell manufacturing plant and R&D center in Gothenburg with Volvo Cars — the location of which was confirmed by the partners on February 4. Northvolt “is expected to be joined shortly by Tesla’s large gigafactory Project/developer

Location

project in Berlin”, according to CIC — citing reports from Germany that the company will start operations before the end of the first quarter of 2022. The Tesla project is set to reach a production capacity of 40 GWh per year “according to the most conservative estimates”, CIC says. Meanwhile, CIC notes that Stellantis has “accelerated its plans for the industry”, after announcing plans in July 2021 to launch a third gigafactory project — in the southern Italian city of Termoli. The project will follow two such facilities already under development in France and Germany. Stellantis is working through the Automotive Cells Company (ACC), a joint venture with Saft battery owner, TotalEnergies. Daimler’s MercedesBenz is also a member of ACC. According to CIC, Spain, as “the second largest automobile manufacturing country in the European Union, is among countries that have presented the greatest number of innovations in recent months”. “Due to the importance of this sector in the country, different initiatives have been taking shape or emerging, with the aim of meeting the demand expected in Spain and the rest of Europe in the coming years,” CIC says. Volkswagen has announced its in-

Planned GWh final capacity

tention to set up one of its six planned gigafactories in Spain and is “working on selecting the final location for this project, with which it expects to reach a production capacity of 40 GWh once it is fully operational”. Separately, the ‘Basquevolt’ solidstate batteries project — the CIC spinoff based in the Basque capital of Vitoria-Gasteiz in northern Spain — “is another of the major initiatives under way”. CIC says solid-state technology is now “the big bet of vehicle manufacturers in the medium and long term”. European Commission vice president Maroš Šefcovic has encouraged the development of battery tech in the region as “extremely valuable for Europe”, CIC says. As projects progress, “little by little” Europe will be able to challenge the dominance of leading battery-manufacturing regions such as Asia, according to the CIC. “In 2022, it is expected that large public aid programs from both EU and state institutions will start to reach the European industry. In many cases, this will mean the definitive implementation of the announced projects and initiatives… while the expected demand for energy storage solutions is gradually increasing.”

Update

Source: CIC energiGUNE

Northvolt Sweden 60 (Year: 2030)

Already produced first cell. Hopes to develop another plant in Gothenburg with Volvo.

EnvisionAESC UK 38 (Year: 2030)

With Nissan’s entry, total investment of €1.16 billion ($1.32 billion) by the OEM.

EnvisionAESC

Decrease in expected capacity, from 43 GWh in 2030 to 30 GWh.

France

30 (Year: 2030)

ACC France 16 (Year: 2023)

Daimler announced last September the purchase of a 33% stake in this JV between Stellantis and TotalEnergies.

ACC

Germany

16 (Year: 2025)

As above

ACC

Italy

24 (Year: 2025)

As above

Verkor

France

50 (Year: 2030)

Confirmed Dunkirk as plant location.

Tesla

Germany

50 (Year: 2030)

Announcing its next plant opening in March or April 2022.

Britishvolt UK 35 (Year: 2027)

Intention to offer two different battery chemistries and to have a recycling line.

Volkswagen Various 40 (Each before 2030)

After Salzgitter, Germany, VW expects to announce locations of remaining projects soon.

Basquevolt Spain 10 (Year: 2027)

Europe’s first solid-state initiative plans to announces CEO, technical team, shareholders, soon.

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 31

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS: OPINION Despite the popularity of lithium even its advocates are aware of some of its deficiencies. Moreover, a new line of competitors is emerging, writes Ivan Sedgwick, a director of investor boutique LGB & Co.

Looking for the next iteration of energy storage Batteries are a crucial component in efforts to clean up the planet. But there are questions about the merits of overreliance on lithium, along with cobalt and nickel, all of which are used in the lion’s share of car batteries — and batteries for laptops and smartphones. From sourcing through to the end-of life-stage of lithium battery, the metal presents problems that have yet to be addressed. And this matters because of the sheer scale of its usage. For example, in the UK battery electric vehicle registrations for 2021 totalled 190,727, up 76% year-on-year. It’s a trend that’s set to grow. By 2030, there will be between 8 million and 11 million hybrid or electric vehicles, if uptake is aligned with the country’s Road to Zero targets. By 2040, the number of hybrid or electric cars could reach 25.5 million. That’s a lot of batteries — many of them lithium based. And this situation is being replicated across Europe, North America and large parts of Asia.

Compelling

For an investor, lithium ion batteries are a compelling proposition. They play an ever-growing role in the EV battery market at present. Tesla is heavily invested in them — the battery of the best-selling Tesla Model S has about 12 kilograms of lithium in it. Yet, despite all that, it remains a tough call to pick out one battery technology for long-term investment given the new technology is cutting edge and developing rapidly. The prospect of any one of a multitude of lithium-ion battery alternatives taking over is not some wild fantasy it’s possible to imagine breakthroughs

and new technologies coming onstream within the next few years. Lithium-ion batteries have a lifespan of more than 10 years so it will take a while for them to pile up. But pile up they will. Research by the UK-based Faraday Institution estimated that around 250,000 tonnes of unprocessed battery packs will reach the end of their lives in the next 15-20 years. Unfortunately, as things stand, only 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled — this contrasts with 99% of lead-acid batteries. As well, lead-acid batteries are cheaper to recycle than the lithiumion ones because most manufacturers factor recycling costs into the price of the product. Compounding the recycling problem, according to the Faraday Institution, manufacturers are understandably secretive about what goes into their batteries, which makes it harder to recycle them properly. At the moment recovered cells are usually shredded, creating a mixture of metal that can then be separated, often using pyrometallurgical techniques. But this method wastes a lot of the lithium and is largely dependent on other more valuable minerals, such as cobalt and nickel, being both present and extractable without too much complexity. Clearly, the end-of-life stage for lithium-ion batteries remains one requiring a lot of work and investment. As well, a look further upstream and problems with sourcing lithium present themselves in abundance. The largest lithium reserves are to be found in Chile, Argentina and Australia, with sizeable reserves also found in China and parts of sub-Saharan Africa,

Given the issues related to lithium from mining through to recycling or disposal, and the current development of other battery technologies, it’s hard not to imagine history being on the side of alternatives to lithium 34 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Competition for reserves of lithium has heightened in recent years with the realization that China has tightened its grip on the more readily available lithium reserves. Not only does China have significant reserves in the ground, its companies are buying up reserves elsewhere. This December past, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt paid $422 million for the Arcadia hard-rock lithium mine in Zimbabwe, buying out the Australialisted controlling shareholder Prospect Resources and the minority shareholders. Elsewhere, also last year, UK-listed Bacanora Lithium, with mines in Mexico, was taken over by China’s Ganfeng Lithium for $391 million.

Sourcing the materials

The nickel, cobalt and lithium used in lithium-ion and other types of batteries are often sourced from high-risk countries. For example, mining in the DRC has been linked to modern slavery and child labour. The DRC is one of the world’s biggest nickel producers and is, by a distance, the largest cobalt producer. Its mining of lithium is at present modest, although the country has significant reserves. Given the current price of lithium — up about almost 500% from the start of last year — interest in developing these reserves is likely to grow. Meanwhile, in China and South America, lithium mining and leaching has caused significant environmental damage locally. It’s worth keeping in mind too that, although lithium is plentiful, it is costly to extract and, like all alkali metals, is highly reactive, which makes handling and storage more expensive too. What all this means is that, unsurprisingly, there is growing investment in alternatives, some of which look both intriguing and exciting. While attention may be on lithiumion batteries, it is lithium-air batteries that may prove to be of more lasting

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS: OPINION interest. Recent developments show lithium-air batteries are lightweight and high capacity, with significantly higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries. They offer the potential to be able to drive around 500 miles on one charge. The process is very basically one whereby the battery borrows oxygen from the air while driving, which then reacts with the lithium ions to create energy that powers the car. When charging the battery, the reverse reaction takes place and previously borrowed oxygen is released back into the atmosphere. Lithium-air batteries have the potential to be the ultimate rechargeable batteries: they are lightweight and high capacity, with theoretical energy densities several times that of currently available lithium-ion batteries.

Sodium possibilities

Like oxygen, sodium is extremely easy to obtain. So, sodium batteries look to have a lot of potential. The batteries are far more stable than lithiumion ones, so not a fire risk. They have however presented problems of durability, whereby the anode has deteriorated relatively quickly, and this has stopped development in the past. The energy intensity is lower but for applications where weight is not crucial this is not an insurmountable problem. It’s clear that different applications will be suitable for different technologies. In the UK, work is being done to create new versions of this technology. One new business in this area, Faradion, a Sheffield University spinoff, was bought for $100m by India’s Reliance Industries at the beginning of January. In India, it’s seen as a move to reduce dependence on China and, of course, there’s the prospect of new sodium giga-factories. Given the pollution problems in cities such as New Delhi, the incentive to find a solution is very strong. Other young UK companies working on sodium-battery technology worth watching include Saietta Group, which was listed on AIM in July 2021 and came to the market partly on the back of the interest shown in its motors by the vast Indian motorcycle industry. As well, there’s a Lancaster University spin-off called LiNa Energy Limited, which is commercialising a cobalt and lithium free solid-state sodium battery for electric vehicle and grid storage markets. Outside the UK, Natron Energy in California is already offering sodium batteries for data centres, using lithium

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It remains a tough call to pick out one battery technology for long-term investment given the new technology is cutting edge and developing rapidly battery production lines. Another Californian company, Bluetti Power, has started offering sodium ion-based solar power generators. Elsewhere and beyond sodium batteries, Australian-based company Gelion is working on a different technology, zinc bromide batteries, which are particularly suitable for stationary storage applications, and for applications with regular charge or recharge cycles such as public transport. The raw materials are cheap and do not operate at high temperatures. Gelion has garnered a lot of interest from potential partners. Other battery technologies on the rise include supercapacitor technology. Another type that stood out are redox flow batteries, which represent one class of electrochemical energy storage devices. The name “redox” refers to chemical reduction and oxidation reactions employed in the RFB to store energy in liquid electrolyte solutions which flow through a battery of electrochemical cells during charge and discharge. By adding hydrochloric and sulfuric acid to the mix, researchers have produced prototype batteries with 70% more energy density than a lithium-ion battery of similar proportions. They could store effectively energy from wind and solar farms. Redox batteries can offer up to four times the lifespan and much greater storage. At the US Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, researchers have determined that redox batteries could also propel a car up to 1,000 miles on a single charge and make them faster. However, given that sort of distance is about the limit to drive in one day, the redox batteries could instead offer the chance to strip weight from the electric cars of tomorrow and still provide better levels of performance than at present, along with a greater range. Hydrogen fuel cells It would be remiss to talk about batteries for vehicles without mentioning hydrogen fuel cells, which are being worked on by Toyota, Hyundai and other manufacturers. Instead of being powered by electricity stored in a battery, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles produce their electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell stack. Refuel-

ling their hydrogen tanks from a pump takes less than five minutes and, when driving, the vehicle emits nothing but water. At present the two main hydrogenpowered cars on the market are the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo. More hydrogen-powered cars and vans are on the way, with brands such as BMW, Land Rover and Vauxhall all planning releases within the next five years.

Infrastructure concerns

One of the things holding back the hydrogen-powered car market in the UK and elsewhere is lack of infrastructure. In late 2021, there were only 12 hydrogen-fuel stations in the UK. Part of the problem here is that producing enough hydrogen is a tremendous challenge at present — without reverting to fossil fuels, which would defeat the point of it. Researchers are

More hydrogen filling stations in the UK are planned — there are just 12 in the country — but the amount of catch-up needed is huge working to find a solution. Meanwhile, more hydrogen filling stations in the UK are planned, but the amount of catch-up needed is huge. Hydrogen-powered cars are not expected to replace the current EVs. Instead, hydrogen is intended to complement electric power. It’s efficient and, depending on how it is made, the cleanest fuel possible Better and more durable electrolyser technology is needed to generate green hydrogen. And for heavy equipment, hydrogen combustion engines — which for example JCB is developing — may be the answer. Given the issues related to lithium from mining through to recycling or disposal, and the current development of other battery technologies, it’s hard not to imagine history being on the side of alternatives to lithium. But that’s very much of the long-term, several decades away; in the short-term lithium will remain a key resource for the battery industry.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 35

LITHIUM RECYCLING NEWS

Wood Mackenzie pours cold water on future of lithium ion battery recycling A report at the end of 2021 by commodity analyst firm Wood Mackenzie painted a dismal picture of the shortterm future for lithium battery recycling, saying there will be no meaningful takeup before 2030. One problem is a short-

age of feedstock, research analyst Max Reid says, partly because EV penetration was not high enough early enough for the 15-year lifespan of most batteries to have been reached yet. “Underneath the surface of this electric future lies

a relatively young supply chain struggling to keep up. The Li-ion battery demand market can fluctuate over months and expanding upstream and midstream to produce battery materials involves lead times of several years,” he says.

Leoch anticipates lithium battery market to double in size by 2025 For the record, the global market for lithium batteries is expected to double by 2025, Leoch chairman Dong Li said at the Asian Battery Conference last year a leap from $40.5 billion in 2025 to $80 billion. The growth of the sector would pose one of the main challenges to the lead battery industry everywhere, he said. He also warned of stricter lead emissions regulations in China and the need to keep improving lead battery technology. He said there were also opportunities, with GDP growth strong and market demand for all products still healthy. He also said that techni-

cal upgrades in manufacturing meant the demand for new equipment and machinery was growing, along with higher demand for raw materials. “Better supply infrastructure in China is also helping competitiveness,” he said. At the moment in China most lithium batteries are sold in the automotive sector, but by 2025 the biggest sector for lithium batteries will be in new energy applications for energy storage, Leoch’s managing director Michelle Chi said after Li’s presentation. “Chinese government policies to control carbon emissions is the same goal, to make the earth more

green,” she said. Chi said a growing number of Chinese lead battery manufacturers — and all of the major ones — were including lithium batteries in their portfolios because they recognized the demand would only grow. However she acknowledged there were still huge challenges when it came to recycling them. “Recycling technology for lithium batteries is already mature,” she said. “We have the technology but the problem is, especially in China, we don’t have standard regulations to do it. And it requires an investment as we still haven’t found a way to make money from it.”

Umicore to use next-gen battery recycling tech in deal with ACC Umicore announced on February 11 it had signed an agreement to provide its next-generation battery recycling services for the Automotive Cells Company’s (ACC) planned pilot battery manufacturing plant in Nersac, France. ACC — a consortium of Stellantis, TotalEnergies and Daimler’s MercedesBenz — said the deal underlines “the importance of a European supply chain for the success of car electrification” in Europe. Umicore’s battery recycling plant in Hoboken, Belgium, which started operating in 2011, has an

annual capacity of 7,000 tonnes of lithium ion batteries and battery production scrap, which it said is the equivalent of 35,000 EV batteries. The deal comes as Umicore prepares to launch its “latest generation” of proprietary recycling technology during 2022, which the company said follows “intensive research and piloting activities” and marks “a significant step-up in recycling performance”. Umicore said the process involves a “significantly improved metallurgical process, with increased extraction efficiency of cobalt,

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nickel and copper to now reach over 95% yield for a wide variety of battery chemistries, with minimal waste and impact” on the environment. Recovered metals will be delivered in battery-grade quality at the end of the Umicore recycling process — allowing them to be recirculated into the production of new lithium ion batteries, Umicore said. Gilles Tardivo, Nersac pilot plant vice president, said the facility will test all product and process solutions before mass production in ACC’s future European gigafactories.

“As it is a new industry, there is limited historic capacity to flip the switch on, and yet many see this as a ripe environment for recycling to make a tangible impact.” The global transition to electric vehicles means demand for batteries will boom, and Reid forecasts that by 2040, 89% of Liion battery demand will come from the EV sector — leaving a lot less for the simultaneous demand coming from the energy storage sector. Another problem is the recycling itself. Whereas portable electronics batteries are easily accessible, EV battery packs take much longer to get out, take apart and mechanically shred. It is cheaper to simply produce new batteries than recycle old ones. Reid says: “This decade will see the supply chain further establish itself to be able to supply vast quantities of battery-grade chemicals and cathodes to cell manufacturers, while recyclers will struggle with the large mass and complexity of EV-packs.” He says a new cathode facility will produce 50 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of NMC (nickel, manganese and cobalt) material, while a recycling facility will typically process 5-10 ktpa of e-waste — the former equating to roughly 400,000 battery EVs annually and the latter taking in just roughly 30,000 EVpacks yearly. According to Wood Mackenzie’s analysis, the total capacity of planned recycling facilities will still overshoot feedstock in 2030, when end-of-life EV numbers begin to ramp up, and there is likely to be a scramble for used EV batteries in North America and Europe.

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LITHIUM RECYCLING NEWS

EcoGraf gets conditional go-ahead on expansion loan from Australian government EcoGraf announced on February 2 it has received conditional approval for a loan from the Australian government of up to $40 million (A$56 million) to support the planned expansion of the company’s battery anode material production and recycling facility in Western Australia. EcoGraf said it has been advised by Export Finance Australia that the loan could be made to support the expansion of the facility to 20,000 tonnes per annum. The loan would be dependent on conditions including the successful building and construction of EcoGraf’s initial 5,000 tpa facility, 30km south of Perth.

The loan boost would form part of an A$2 billion support package announced by the government last September. EcoGraf’s facility will produce high purity battery anode material without the use of hydrofluoric acid, instead using the company’s proprietary ‘HFfree’ purification process. The company has already received approval for its patent application, which detailed the use of its unique purification process to recycle battery anode material generated from lithiumion battery production processes and end-of-life batteries. Last year, EcoGraf named Sweden as a potential site for its first European

manufacturing facility. The company has signed a “land reservation agreement” with municipal authorities for a 65,000 square metre industrial site in Skellefteå — which is already a hive of activity for Europe’s burgeoning electric vehicle batteries supply chain.

Veolia unveils plans for EV battery recycling plant in UK Veolia announced plans on January 20 to build its first electric vehicle battery recycling facility in the UK. The France-based group said the new facility, at Minworth, in the West Midlands, will have the capacity to process 20% of the UK’s end-of-life EV batteries by 2024. Veolia’s announcement marks the first step in developing its recycling technology and treatment capacity within the UK, with the company forecasting 350,000 tonnes of end-of-life EV batteries to be in the country by 2040. The plant will initially discharge and dismantle batteries before completing mechanical and chemical separation recycling processes. Veolia senior EVP for northern Europe, Gavin Graveson, said: “This is an important first step on the UK’s journey to create an ethical and sustainable supply chain for batteries that will be increasingly necessary as we transition to a greener economy.” Veolia said it will also use its global network to establish a “full circular economy solution in the next five years to produce battery precursors in Europe”. The UK announcement follows last year’s decision by French car group, Renault, to join Veolia and Sciencebased Belgian firm Solvay in a European project to recycle end-of-life EV batteries. The companies said they would establish a pre-industrial demonstration plant in France toward recovering battery metals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium for re-use in the supply chain.

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 37

PROFILE: ECOBAT The world’s biggest lead battery recycler doesn’t plan to stop at lead. Debbie Mason spoke to CEO Jimmy Herring.

Ecobat sets out plans for allround battery recycling mission One of the biggest transformational steps taken by battery recycling giant Ecobat was the change of control in January 2019, says CEO Jimmy Herring, when founder Howard Meyers relinquished his interest in the firm. The shareholders, says Herring, supported his intention to create ‘a more harmonious and global company’ after Meyers stepped down. “In 2007, the price of lead was much higher — around $3,000 a tonne, and Howard Meyers was debating ways of extracting value out of the company,” says Herring. “Rather than doing an IPO, he agreed to a payment-in-kind loan structure in which he essentially borrowed a lot of money. It meant that the interest compounded over 10 years, rather than being serviced on an annual basis.

“That large number became exponentially much larger by the fall of 2017/18, and that’s when the litigation began between the distressed debt holders and Howard Meyers. “After about a year and a half of legal wrangling, finally in January 2019 the change of control took place.” With the support of the shareholders, Herring decided to bring the 26 separate parts of the company together to form a more cohesive body to present to the external world. “With our new web presence, the way we structure the company, the way we are now supporting a matrix organization within the company to drive the growth of the company, all of those things are meant to serve one purpose — that is for the world to take notice that we are Ecobat and we are

I argue there will be a shock when the average consumer realizes to replace the battery of the car they’ve had for 10 years will cost them $2,600 just for labour to take it out — a new battery $6,000 — one to two thousand to dispose of the previous one. Will people really want to spend that much money putting a new battery in an EV that’s already 10 years old? 38 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

able to continue to be the world’s largest recycler of batteries,” Herring says. The world’s largest lead-acid battery recycler will over the next few years bring all kinds of chemistries under its roof to become the biggest all-round recycler in the world, Herring, who has been with the company for nearly six years, told Batteries International in an exclusive interview mid-December 16. Bringing lithium recycling in The company’s recent acquisition of lithium battery recycler Promesa, in August 2021, was a strategic move to enhance the firm’s lithium battery recycling capability with the ability to offer all three steps in the process, Herring says. Ecobat has a facility in Darlaston, England. On January 2, 2021, the first lithium battery was discharged and dismantled there and the foothold was established. “We set up the infrastructure required and trained our employees to not only receive lithium batteries, but then discharge them of any residual energy, then disassemble the lithium battery and test the individual cells, some of which can be used for second life, the rest that unfortunately have to go on to the next stage. “This is stage two. Promesa now gives us stage three — taking the cells that are no good for second life and shredding them to extract the black mass. As of today we are the only company in Europe that can provide OEMs with a full, back-to-back service of all three phases — collection, discharging and dismantling, shredding and extracting the black mass.” Ecobat’s plan is to build a shredding capability at Darlaston and a collection, discharge and disassembly line at Promesa so that both sites can do the entire three-step process — the collection, discharge and disassembly, and shredding. Herring says Ecobat will be the only lithium battery recycler that can offer all three steps rather than rely on partners for one or two of them. “There are a lot of companies saying then can do all of this but there isn’t

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PROFILE: ECOBAT a single one of them that controls the whole process,” says Herring. “We can provide the first three steps. “The fourth phase — once you have the black mass, the next stage is the hydro or pyro method to extract the actual metal — is what some companies focus on. But they don’t have steps one and two and have to partner with other companies to achieve that.” Ecobat’s second recent acquisition, in October, was that of Belgium-based Emrol, a distributor of several different battery chemistries. The purchase was made to expand Ecobat’s presence in the Benelux region and into more battery applications. “Whether it’s lithium or other types of battery chemistry — that transition will continue and that’s why today I can say we’re the largest lead battery recycler, I want to be the world’s battery recycler, irrespective of chemistry.” No end for lead batteries Where lead battery recycling is concerned, Herring sees a slowdown as countries shift towards EVs, but does not believe it will cause the end of the lead battery industry. “A lot of people think that lead batteries are a dying industry but I would suggest otherwise,” he says. “First, you have billions of vehicles on the road today that need lead batteries. “Right now there’s a shift towards EVs, and traction batteries are lithium batteries, but we can’t forget that every EV has one to three lead acid batteries,” he said. “So the need will continue to grow although at a smaller rate over the next 10 years. We anticipate that growth rate to be around 2.5% a year, which pales into comparison to the 30+% anticipated in lithium batteries. “However it will be interesting to see how the general population of EV consumers will react over the next few years. “The first generation of EV vehicles has a 10-year lifespan that we haven’t reached yet. Under warranty the owner doesn’t care, but with cost, I argue there will be a shock when the average consumer realizes to replace the battery of the car they’ve had for 10 years will cost them $2,600 just for labour to take it out — a new battery $6,000 — one to two thousand to dispose of the previous — how much news that makes will be interesting. “Will people really want to spend that much money putting a new battery in an EV that’s already 10 years old? People are really excited about

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Herring says companies claiming to have come up with newer, more efficient processes to recycle batteries have come and gone over the past 15 years ... but none have come to fruition EVs but have they really thought it through?” While a few countries — such as France, Ireland, the UK and Canada — have mandated all new car sales must be electric by a certain date, there are far more nations, including the US, that have not introduced in such laws as yet. But regardless of the cost and possible change in attitudes, the EV wave is upon us and Ecobat does not intend to get stranded. “I am proud of the steps we’ve taken this year to not shy away from that challenge and embrace it,” Herring says. “For example, in Europe the transport of lithium batteries, which are considered hazardous, has to be performed in specialized trucks and containers. In Europe we’ve been in this space for multiple years, transporting batteries, even damaged ones, for some time now. We have trucks and containers especially for them.” Force majeure at Stolberg In July 2021, Ecobat had to declare force majeure on its Berzelius Metall lead plant in Germany after severe flooding affected hundreds of people in the area and production was halted. The closure of the plant, which produced around 155,000 tonnes of lead and lead alloys a year, immediately forced lead prices in Europe up to a three-year high. The plant is still closed, and Herring did not deny that Ecobat would consider offers to buy it. “We are always open to people approaching us and when you have events like this it could well be that others in the market might raise the question,” he says. “But at the moment we are moving forward with rebuilding Stolberg with the purpose of opening it again some time. “It was a once-in-a-100-year event — we were all very shocked, but we are in the process of the clean-up effort. Because of the long order times it is taking considerably longer for key components to be shipped to us from Asia, but our intent is to be up and running again. It will be some time next year.” Herring says there is still surplus ca-

pacity in Europe — it’s the US where a shortage of production, compounded by Clarios closing down its South Carolina plant a year ago, is more acute. Improvements to efficiency “Once ocean freight rates regain some degree of normalcy, perhaps you will see more batteries coming from Asia into the US, or from Europe, but clearly there is a need in the US for more volume,” he says. And this can be achieved by tweaking existing facilities to increase throughput and improving processes to maximize efficiency rather than building on greenfield sites, he says. “Our prime focus now is on what we can do to improve the efficiency and output of our existing facilities,” he says. “Now we are able to leverage the power of comparison in identifying best-in-class within our group and taking best practices and implementing them at our sister sites. “Even something as simple as that is allowing us to elevate our ability to produce more, well beyond further brownfield opportunities. Demand for lead will continue to grow to 2030 at least yet no one is entering the market and spending €300 million to €400 million building a new lead-acid battery recycling facility. “In fact over the next eight years because of tighter environmental regulations, the likelihood is that some of our current competitors or sites might have to reduce capacity or consider whether it will be worth investing to remain compliant, or shut down.” Herring says companies claiming to have come up with newer, more efficient processes to recycle batteries have come and gone over the past 15 years, but none have come to fruition. “It doesn’t mean that can’t happen but at this point, if there were a better way of recycling lead batteries, rather than shying away from it we would embrace it. “With lithium, we are not shying away from the change in the industry. We are embracing it. We are comfortable and happy to be in this space right now and will continue to play a major role in this industry regardless of where it evolves.”

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 39

INTERVIEW: MATT RAIFORD, CBI Fears for the future of the lead battery — and its replacement by its lithium counterpart — are not backed by facts. Debbie Mason spoke to Matt Raiford at the CBI.

The myth of the ever-cheaper EV battery Are lead batteries really on route to hell in a hand cart? That the end is nigh for the key enabler of generation after generation of motor vehicles? Historically, you might think so in an October 2019, piece for Forbes magazine, headlined ‘Lead-Acid Batteries are on a Path to Extinction’, chemical engineer Robert Rapier gave reasons for his belief that the end was approaching for the battery stalwart. Rapier cited low energy to volume, no partial discharge capability, and the falling price of its lithium battery competitor. Quoting Tim Karimov, president of California-based lithium battery supplier OneCharge, Rapier said costs involved with lead batteries — such as downtime, watering and maintenance — meant the total cost of ownership for lithium-ion batteries had averaged 20%-40% lower in just two to four years. “This new generation of batteries threatens to end the lengthy reign of the lead-acid battery,” Rapier wrote. “The key to this revolution has been the development of affordable batteries with much greater energy density. In addition, lithium-ion batteries have a longer life cycle with 3,000 cycles compared to less than 1,500 with lead acid.” But as predictions go, Rapier’s was on a par with that of former Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, who predicted in 2007 that the new Apple iPhone had “no chance” of gaining a significant market share. Two weeks after Rapier’s article, Forbes published a follow-up piece headlined — ‘The Lead-Acid Battery’s Demise Has Been Greatly

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Exaggerated’ — prompted by Battery Council International’s swift response to the first article. The second piece took the form of a Q&A with responses by Consortium for Battery Innovation technical head Matt Raiford. In it, he argued that the battery issue was not something in which winners and losers were picked: each technology would have an essential part to play in all the different applications that would require them. Now, more than two years later, Raiford has reiterated and strengthened his response, and the sombre predictions by Rapier look even more off target, with supply chain issues and raw material costs forcing the price of lithium batteries to go in the wrong direction. Speaking to Batteries International about the Forbes articles, the lead battery scenario and the facts —he said the picture was looking even rosier than the industry had predicted just a year ago. “We track and speak to our battery manufacturer members regularly and the feedback is that they’re busier than they know how to handle, says Raiford. “Almost everyone is in a situation where they’re ordered out for the year and they’re trying to accommodate for increased demand whilst making sure that supply chains are secure for not just production of batteries, but all the peripheral enclosures and electronics that may go into other kinds of applications. “At the beginning of last year, we saw a double digit spike in demand in telecoms and UPS and we were surprised. Initially we thought it was

For the UK to switch over entirely to EVs in two years, say, would take all of the world’s production of lithium for those two years.” to do with back orders from 2020 because of operations suspended from Covid, but there’s also a massive build-out of things like data centres and cell phone towers that we’ve all talked about and now the market is maturing rapidly. Labour shortages Stryten Energy CEO Tim Vargo said he and each of his competitors were having the same problems with keeping up with demand — although he doesn’t believe it’s necessarily because demand has risen. “The demand is maybe not unprecedented,” he said. “It’s our inability to fill our factories with workers that’s unprecedented. And this applies to any factory in any sector. “It’s hard to tell exactly why, but it might be the government subsidies that have discouraged people from going back to work — and there are people in the 60-70+ age category who chose not to go back to work because they’ve lost loved ones and realized they have a limited time left on this earth and they should be spending it with those loved ones. “It’s not one thing, clearly Covid has had an impact on the world’s workers,

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LOW PROFILE HIGH PERFORMANCE

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INTERVIEW: MATT RAIFORD, CBI “We see modest price declines in lead batteries over the next couple of years. Maybe a 10% reduction in price per kWh in the next five years or so.” but it’s what I like to call directionally correct but magnitudinally accurate. We’re selling all the lead batteries we can make and could sell more if we could make more.” Some of the surge, he says, is down to the lack of availability of lithium options, and this is something Stryten aims to tackle [see full interview with Vargo also in this magazine], “I sit on some standards bodies and everyone I hear from on that side is saying ‘we want to use lead batteries, they’re safe, we know how to use them, they work the way we want them to and they’re cheap’. Why would we switch?” says Raiford. The sheer amount of materials needed for all the battery initiatives being proposed is quite simply scary, Raiford says. “There will be millions and millions of tonnes needed to accomplish even some of the minor utility backup goals. For the UK to switch over entirely to EVs in two years, say, would take all of the world’s production of lithium for those two years.” Many in the lead battery industry would admit to a touch of complacency, with a tried, tested and trusted product that didn’t seem to have any rivals. When lithium batteries were developed, they were a sideline for electronics. But it was only when they started to be deployed in EVs that it sent shockwaves through the sector — and in reality this has been no bad thing. “For the longest time there wasn’t any real competition to the lead battery, but competition breeds innovation,” says Raiford who, with the CBI, is working on a host of research projects for future commercialization. “A lot of the improvements in

lead batteries before were focused on optimizing process and cost, which makes sense — there were improvements being made before the advent of lithium to the market, but at a slower pace. Now the development pace is accelerating — and it has to.” Raiford says some of the research into lead has enabled a reduction in the amount of the metal needed per cell. “We see innovations where lead is being taken out of the lead battery and we’re monitoring those — like ArcActive in New Zealand, CDC in Clare, Michigan and Gridtential. They use markedly less lead and their technologies are being matured, adopted and licensed. “There have also been some projects that have shown much higher DCA and we’ve seen DCA pass two amps per amp hour in products that are going to be on the market in the next couple of years,” Raiford says. “There has been a lot of progress and beyond the advanced lead batteries, the baseline value has increased quite a bit to where it’s more typically around 0.4-0.5 amps per amp hour, which is about two and a half times what it used to be. “In terms of DCA we’ve seen innovations that have fit our KPIs. “If you think about how much of the active material on the battery electrode is actually being utilized it’s usually around 35% from application to application. What about the other 65%? “This is a generalized statement — some use more, some use less — but there are all sorts of avenues and materials enhancements to move that bar and I don’t think it’s overtly optimistic to say there’s still ground to cover with the technology. Going up to 50% is not a bold statement, some big gains are left to be had.

But as predictions go, those on the future of the lead battery are on a par with that of former Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, who predicted in 2007 that the new Apple iPhone had “no chance” of gaining a significant market share. 42 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

We’ve seen some of that with bipolar — they might use 45-55% of the active material. “Companies like EnerSys and others have put out maintenance-free products that make lead batteries a lot more attractive again in terms of TCO, and in automotive we’ve been tracking the low-voltage market and we see a lot of opportunity there,” Raiford says. “We need to make sure the industry is poised for that.” The auxiliary battery Essential to the development of the EV sector will be the auxiliary lead battery that each one requires for safety reasons and ‘hotel’ functions. In the event of the failure of the high-voltage propulsion lithium-ion battery, the auxiliary lead battery takes over and powers the safety features of the vehicle to enable the car to safely pull over. Where auxiliary batteries are concerned it’s a safe bet that they won’t be replaced by lithium batteries, simply because of the safety aspect and battery management. Raiford agrees: “If the traction battery is compromised for any reason and you can’t use it, you need something that’s safe to use in an emergency situation — mechanical stress or whatever it is — and that’s what the lead battery is doing: providing instantaneous power to lock, closing off the traction battery. “Several things have to be overcome — crash safety and the relationship of the battery to the overall electronics — and there’s also a matter of infrastructure. If you have a more precarious auxiliary battery you have to have a higher integrity level of the wiring and electronics around it. “It’s something we’re watching, but we just don’t see a viable product offering for a 12V lithium product in that space yet.” He reckons that there is also the cost aspect — and as lithium supply chains are so stretched at the moment, it would not make sense for automakers to go searching them out when all they will do is add to the cost of the vehicle. “We see a general decline in the price per kWh as more advanced lead batteries come online. There’s more advanced AGM, TPPL — that is doing very nicely in telecoms, UPS and motive power markets. So maybe a 10% reduction in price per kWh in the next five years or so.”

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS

EUROBAT warns against new bid to amend draft battery laws A bid to amend draft EU regulations set to govern Europe’s future battery industry risk slowing Europe’s decarbonization plans and could “endanger progress” toward creating a revitalized battery sector, EUROBAT warned on February 11. The warning came after members of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) approved amendments to the European Commission’s proposed Batteries Regulation. And EUROBAT said some of the amendments “go in the opposite direction of supporting the development of the European battery industry towards achieving strategic autonomy”. ENVI backed proposed rules on a carbon footprint declaration and label, a maximum value for the life cycle carbon footprint, as well as minimum levels of

recovered cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel from waste for reuse in new batteries. But the committee called for “more stringent collection targets for portable batteries” — 70% by 2025 compared to the Commission’s original proposal of 65% and 80% by 2030 instead of 70%. ENVI said “all waste automotive, industrial and electric vehicle batteries must be collected”. In addition, the committee called for “minimum collection rates” for LMT (light means of transport) batteries, such as e-bikes — 75% by 2025 and 85% by 2030. EUROBAT said the scope of future measures should be limited to specific applications, noting that ‘industrial batteries’ was too broad a category and includes multiple technologies that serve hundreds of very different applications. “These batteries cannot

be assessed according to the same requirements as those used to assess EV or energy storage batteries,” EUROBAT said. EUROBAT reiterated that proposals to manage hazardous substances under the Batteries Regulation should “be conducted in a single legal framework (REACH), to ensure legal and business certainty and avoid duplication of administrative efforts”. And a ‘grandfather clause’ in the proposals — to protect existing applications from being scrapped before they have reached the end of their useful life — “needs to be more granular and must include models designed before the entry into force of the regulation that will be used “exclusively as spare parts”, EUROBAT said. It should also include a twoyear transition period. ENVI’s report is expected to be adopted by a plenary session of the parliament in

March, which would set legislators’ position for further negotiations with EU member states on the final shape of the legislation. However, EU chiefs have acknowledged previously the Herculean efforts needed to encourage the general public to dispose of portable batteries correctly. A study compiled for the European Commission, published in 2018, said more than half of Europe’s used batteries “disappeared” without proper treatment because of “outdated” recycling rules and inadequate targets for collecting lithium-ion batteries. The study, by the German non-profit Oeko-Institut, the Netherlands-based economic policy consultancy Trinomics and international consulting group EY, criticized existing regulations for lacking “a target or provisions for a monitoring system” to keep track of uncollected batteries.

Exide Industries increases stake in Nexcharge joint venture with Leclanché Indian lead-acid battery maker Exide Industries announced on January 22 it had increased its majority stake in its lithium-ion joint venture with Swiss battery company Leclanché. Exide Industries said in a regulatory filing that its total equity shareholding in the joint venture — Nexcharge — now stands at 84.90%. In 2020, Exide Industries raised its stake in Nexcharge, formed in September 2018, from 77.87% to 80.15%. Nexcharge is focused on the electric transport market — including e-buses, e-wheelers and e-rickshaws — in addition to stationary energy storage systems and

speciality storage markets. Last year, Nexcharge launched India’s first gridconnected lithium-ion battery-based community energy storage system, in Delhi, in collaboration with Tata Power Delhi Distribution. Leclanché has said the Delhi system, at a TPDD substation in Rani Bagh, northwest Delhi, used lithium-nickelmanganese-cobalt-oxide (NCM) battery tech. Nexcharge said the 0.52MWh system would be used to meet peak demand and provide backup power to “preferential” users in the event of a grid outage. Separately, Leclanché carved out its e-transport business on January 1 into a wholly-owned Swiss enti-

46 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

ty — Leclanché E-Mobility — which is set to be merged with a US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Leclanché is working with the SPAC’s largest shareholder, SEFAM, with the aim of announcing a definitive merger agreement around the middle of February 2022. The companies expect the merger to be completed in the second quarter of this year, if the process to raise capital through a private investor in public equity (PIPE) is deemed satisfactory to fully fund a five-year business plan for the merged entity. Leclanché said the PIPE funds will be complement-

ed with investment from the SPAC, which has about $140 million in its trust account. Meanwhile, Leclanché is working with SEFAM and its investment advisors to secure funding to run operations for the E-Mobility until the merger is completed. In a related announcement, Leclanché warned that a combination of “tight liquidity and global supply chain disruption” was causing “intermittent” cell production at the company’s cell plant in Willstätt, Germany. The company estimates that the period of intermittent production is set to last until the end of the first quarter of 2022.

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ENERGY STORAGE NEWS Fluence and ReNew Power in JV to target India’s energy storage market US-based battery storage group Fluence said on January 20 it was forming a 50-50 joint venture with Indian renewable energy company, ReNew Power, to target India’s fast-developing energy storage market. The new company, set to start operations in the first half of this year, is eyeing a market that India’s Central Electricity Authority has forecast could reach 27GW /108GWh by 2030 — from just a few megawatt-hours today. The partners did not disclose the battery chemistry to be deployed in the energy storage systems supplied by the JV. However, Fluence, a joint venture of Siemens and AES, is already deploying its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery storage systems for projects worldwide — and will “localize and integrate products and packages” in India. Fluence has also agreed a deal with battery tech developer, QuantumScape, aimed at introducing solidstate lithium-metal technology to stationary storage systems. Fluence CEO, Manuel Pérez Dubuc, said the group’s patented technologies and designs would be made available to the JV, while ‘made-in-India’ content would be gradually increased. The JV will be managed and operated by an independent management team and also offer EPC and asset management services. ReNew will be the JV’s first customer — with the supply of a 150MWh battery energy storage system for ReNew’s 300MW ‘peak power’ project in Karnataka state.

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Sumitomo agrees to evaluate Cryobattery feasibility in China Energy firm Sumitomo has agreed to evaluate the potential of long-duration storage for a project in China using CRYOBattery technology, the company said on January 4. CRYOBattery is a liqueified air energy storage system by Highview Power, with which Sumitomo partnered in March 2020 with an investment of $46 million. The agreement has been signed with China’s Shang-

hai Power Equipment Research Institute and it will look at the feasibility of a four-hour option and an eight-hour option and which is the optimal size for the Binhai Power Station in China’s Jiangsu Province. “The planned liquefied air energy storage system will shift energy, reduce curtailment and maintain system flexibility to allow integration and growth of renewable generation,”

says Sumitomo. “In addition, the system can provide a transmission and distribution network, helping China’s national grid improve and maintain grid stability.” China has set a carbonneutral target of 2060, and to help achieve it the State Power Investment Corporation set up the Shanghai Power Equipment Research Institute to develop technologies and projects in line with the aim.

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 49

INTERVIEW: TIM VARGO, STRYTEN

Life on the acquisition trail

“Stryten is now in the energy storage business in a variety of formats. We see good opportunities across the ones we’re in and will look at bolt-ons that complement our existing investments — probably just lithium, flow and lead, but who knows?”

50 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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INTERVIEW: TIM VARGO, STRYTEN With three acquisitions under its belt since November, Stryten Energy isn’t holding back when it comes to investing in its future. Debbie Mason spoke to CEO Tim Vargo about the company’s plans. Three acquisitions in as many months, that’s not bad going for any firm. And for that to happen in the energy storage industry shows something is up. Tim Vargo, CEO of Stryten says its recent purchases of Galvion, Tulip Richardson Manufacturing and Storion show the massive looming demand for energy storage and how Stryten is determined to be involved. “We’ve been targeting acquisitions where we feel it’s best to leverage our manufacturing experience in energy storage. We’ve been making lead energy storage for a long time, we know how to make large quantities using lead, and the same skill set can be applied to other things, such as lithium and vanadium.” The most recent purchase, in January, was of Storion, a commercial spinoff from technology firm ITN Energy that makes vanadium flow batteries. Its founders began researching redox flow batteries in 2010 and formed Storion five years later with the aim of bringing the technology to market. For Stryten, a step into vanadium flow batteries isn’t such a big leap as you might think, says Vargo. “Our team has a lot of expertise in exploring things other than flow batteries that have similarities from a manufacturing process that we think we can apply,” he says. “If you look at a battery plant, there are copious amounts of acid flowing through it. We know how to move large volumes of acid and that’s essentially what a vanadium battery is — moving acid to generate electricity. “We have two million sq ft (186,000m²) of battery manufacturing in North America and they all have a lot of acid in them. We know the pumps, the materials required — we have a lot of value we can add in developing this technology. “We’ll build a variety of sizes and incubate them while we’re designing and building a flow battery manufacturing plant, which we’re doing as we speak.” One of the issues with vanadium batteries is the cost of the electrolyte, but Vargo says that’s the wrong way to look at it. “Vanadium isn’t toxic and it doesn’t need to be recycled because you can just keep using it — that’s why it’s conceivable to me that we could be leasing these, power by the hour, hold on to

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the vanadium and all the other components, and just lease it, depending on what the customer wants,” Vargo says. “All kinds of interesting things can happen in a free market economy!” Vargo says while lithium is viable, you would need a football field of them costing a lot of money to provide just four hours of storage, and the reality is this is a demand that will arise. “All the different chemistries being tested and incubated in flow batteries around the world are really going to provide for a much more logical long-term storage than lithium will,” he says. “If you go back 20 years no one cared. There was plenty of electricity, we didn’t really need storage — we had enough infrastructure to support data centres and the like, and no capital was being ploughed into flow batteries even though they were around. “Fifteen years on and people are realizing they might need it some day. Storion decided to invest a lot in flow batteries — it took time, they didn’t have much money, couldn’t get people excited — so they found a group of scientists who they got to work on vanadium flow to provide better energy density.

“Fast forward five years and we have vanadium IP that we own, a great team of scientists who’ve developed solutions that we will fully test and get out there, concurrently developing a large footprint manufacturing process for it.” Lithium batteries In November, Stryten snapped up the vehicle power division of the military equipment firm Galvion, whose products include lithium-ion batteries. The purchase fits with Stryten’s ambition to bring lithium block assembly inhouse along with battery management systems for which it won’t then have to rely on China. “We’re not going to be dependent on someone else making the blocks for us then providing the BMS, so we’re going to be designing the lithium solutions for where we see the energy needs are, for example, back-up power,” says Vargo. “They will be specific solutions instead of more generic solutions where you put a whole bunch of batteries together and multiple BMSs and all these things — they will be much better solutions than that.

PANDEMIC ACCELERATED CHANGE FOR STRYTEN Launching a new company in normal times is challenging enough, however, doing so during a global pandemic ‘required learning to do everything virtually,’ Vargo notes. “I never met a financial adviser or lawyer in person — it was all done over Zoom.” “We were able to take advantage of extra time gained from no travel or commutes during Covid to accelerate the formation of Stryten – starting in mid-May 2020 and finishing by the end of August — just 90 days,” he says. “We came out as Stryten Manufacturing originally because we wanted to stay close to the knitting but as we entered 2021, we saw multiple opportunities to invest in new battery technology and to strengthen our manufacturing capabilities that inspired us to expand our vision for Stryten.” “We had help from our employees

— they told us what our core values were, and they helped form the vision to relaunch as Stryten Energy.” “We were able to do a fabulous job to think of something other than pure manufacturing — what demands are out there, how can we use our team to solve those demands by building other products using our manufacturing skill sets.” Alongside the Stryten launch, Element Resources became a standalone recycling business and shares a tolling partnership with Stryten. “We send them our cores, they process them and send the recycled materials back to us to make new batteries,” Vargo says. Editor’s Note: Some of Exide’s assets in North America were purchased by Atlas Holdings when Stryten was formed.

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 51

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INTERVIEW: TIM VARGO, STRYTEN “We intend to get our cells from Nato-based countries so we’re not dependent on China for our cells, blocks, and even more importantly our battery management systems. China’s stranglehold on the lithium market is why other storages are going to become so much more important, and anyway lithium isn’t the perfect solution for many reasons.” When it comes to EVs, the world’s mandates and policies to shift away from internal combustion engines is too fast, too hare-brained, he says. “There are a lot of articles about the viability of changing over to EVs at the rate the world is proposing and the lack of infrastructure that every country has to support it,” he says. “At some point, logic must prevail. The government regulators are going to spend enough time with industry to say, you know, we don’t actually have enough power to do this. We need to back off.” Vargo says a lot of people see hybrid vehicles as a much more likely scenario, allowing ICE vehicles to work with regenerative braking to reduce the amount of fuel being used.

ESSENTIAL

“Our team has a lot of expertise in exploring things other than flow batteries that have similarities from a manufacturing process that we think we can apply” “As the frost comes off the pumpkin [a paraphrase of the poet James Whitcomb Riley], with this huge EV charge going on, logic should prevail because the math just doesn’t work,” he says. Faith in lead Stryten is still, and will remain, a predominantly lead-acid battery company. Vargo says that when the Argonne National Laboratory was looking into lithium batteries, ‘no one was really putting their shoulder to the wheel on lead’ — but now, that picture has changed. “We’re looking at lead as an opportunity to develop a better lead solution to complement whatever else lithium and other evolving technologies can come up with,” he says. “Lithium is going to be part of that — and it’s hand in glove with the lead

industry in looking to improve lead. “In telecoms, lead batteries have been working for 20 years. No one talks about that, but they last a long time in commercial energy storage because the temperature is controlled in the room, unlike under the hood of a car. “The heat in a car is what kills batteries, but in a cell phone tower they will last a long time. “Stryten is now in the energy storage business in a variety of formats. We see good opportunities across the ones we’re in and will look at bolt-ons that complement our existing investments — probably just lithium, flow and lead, but who knows? “We have great supplier relationships, we are building new ones and the phones are ringing off the hook because people know we’re on to something — and they want to be part of it.”

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ESSENTIAL

INFORMATION

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 53

COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS

From just-in-time In terms of demand the lead battery business is booming. Now it’s supply that’s the problem, delivery times are increasing as the logistics of transportation continue to deteriorate.

54 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Late January 2020. An international battery machine supplier is ringing and ringing its Chinese shipping agent. No reply. The electronic documentation is in place, the machinery is waiting to be collected. Eventually the agent is reached on a private line. “Sorry, we’re in lockdown. We can’t get into our offices. Nobody is around to unload them.” It’s a true story. The first great shock to the battery supply chain is in place. Covid had broken out in China and was busily on its way to disrupt the world.

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COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS

to just-in-case It’s time for a rethink of the way that we do business. The immediate fallout from the pandemic has been the collapse of the traditional supply chain — previous imbalances in terms of business and geography have been exacerbated — and a debunking of the equally traditional just-in-time approach to inventory. “The supply chain had got to the point that it could be both super-efficient but vulnerable at the same time,” says one commentator. “We’d reached the point that a purchase of say, a pair of jeans in North America would trigger an automatic electronic shipping order being transferred to a factory in Asia for their replacement followed by an order for more jean material to be shipped to the factory. “But the smart ordering and feed-back mechanisms fall apart once the balance of supply and demand disintegrate and this causes hiccups and backlogs of transportation.”

It’s not proving easy to get by — especially there is at the same time a raging pandemic in some parts of the world and post-pandemic, pent-up need for product. “Demand is strong but managing the supply chain is an ongoing challenge,” says Steve Barnes, managing director at Hammond Expanders in the UK. “Raw material prices are climbing by double digits, the cost of packaging has risen by over 50%, and now we’re being hit with energy surcharges. We also are seeing significant increases in road freight and container shipments rates have risen by over 30%; that’s if you’re fortunate enough to find availability on shipping vessels! “Many of our raw materials are considered speciality products and with that comes special pricing! Several suppliers are taking the no-negotiations, ‘take-it or leave-it’ approach. Fortunately, many of our customers are evaluating our prequalified material alternatives that have proven to be just as good, sometimes even better, than a customer’s current material specification. “It’s been a very tough two years for everybody, but as Winston Churchill famously said, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’. So, we’ve made significant investments in new plant equipment, increased our raw materials inventory, and continue to evaluate raw material alternatives. Going forward, this will make us a more resilient, better supplier.”

“It’s been a very tough two years for everybody, but as Winston Churchill famously said, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’. So, we’ve made significant investments in new plant equipment, increased our raw materials inventory, and continue to evaluate raw material alternatives” — Steve Barnes, Hammond

“Governments misestimated how highly efficient manufacturing was and how difficult manufacturing would be to get back to that same level of pre-Covid efficiency”

“Restocking is still not there due to the disruptions along the supply chains (both ocean and inland freight distribution), and is not helped by hot summers/cold winters where the battery life is shortened as global warming takes its toll”

— Scott Fink, Sorfin

— Neil Hawkes, CRU

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 55

COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS THE BULLWHIP EFFECT When demand changes temporarily, the effect of suddenly adapting to meet that demand is magnified across each tier of the supply chain as every supplier adds a little extra to their order. That can lead to the bullwhip effect, which means a small growth in customer demand can massively increase demand for raw materials. Also, as demand can suddenly fall as well as rise, the effect can be found in crashes as well as sudden increases in demand, such as that which occurred during the pandemic. MAC Engineering is yet another in the industry struggling to get muchneeded parts and equipment to battery manufacturers. Doug Bournas, president of the firm says: “We’re working closely with a lot of companies to come up with alternative solutions to keep everyone

up and running as best we can.” He believes the supply chain issue won’t go away this year, although he, naturally, hopes otherwise. With Covid spreading and labour shortages due to quarantining, he reckons we’re a long way from getting back to any type of normal deliveries and supplies. It sounds — and is — very much a juggling job; managing the business, moving product when you can, and trying to keep everyone as happy as you can. “Everything is delayed, trying to minimize things where we can is going to be the biggest challenge moving forward,” he says. The sudden leap in pricing has hit many companies hard. “What used to cost us €800 to ship is now costing us €4,800, it’s a crazy situation — there have now been many occasions where the shipping cost of moving machinery about is more expensive than the parts themselves,” one UK supplier told Batteries International recently. Today’s situation is compounded by a mixture of the historical legacy of the pandemic and the fact that in parts of the world Covid is still raging. Neil Hawkes, principal analyst at

RECYCLING: A STALWART OF LEAD PRICES Recycled lead accounts for about two-thirds of global refined lead production, with mining accounting for the remainder — in contrast to other base metals and indeed other battery metals like lithium, where mining or primary supplies account for the majority of production. While lithium battery recycling is in its infancy and unproven ahead of any scaling up, lead battery recycling is established, hugely efficient and provides a high volume and reliable source of feed for lead battery manufacturers. “The global decarbonization transition underway needs to more fully embrace the cradle-to-grave credentials of each ‘green’ or battery metal rather than just focusing on comparative battery performance, says Neil Hawkes, principal analyst at CRU. “In other words, where do the raw materials come from to make the battery and what happens to batteries at the end of their lives? Compared with lithium, lead has a better story to tell on this wider narrative. The big challenge for lead is to convince investors that it has

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a role to play in the greener world ahead. “Lead of course is by no means perfect in terms of its green credentials — for example, questionable battery recycling practices in developing countries— but it does suffer from a seemingly entrenched poor image. A big PR drive is needed, spearheaded by the Consortium for Battery Innovation.”

Neil Hawkes, principal analyst at CRU

CRU, says that the resilience of the battery supply chain has been sorely tested through the pandemic. The first wave came at the worst time in the annual seasonal cycle for automotive lead batteries — that is battery destocking at the end of the winter season. So, stocks along the battery supply chain were depleted and fell even further during the first lockdowns around the world. “Restocking is still not there due to the disruptions along the supply chains (both ocean and inland freight distribution), and is not helped by hot summers/cold winters where the battery life is shortened as global warming takes its toll,” says Hawkes. However, he gets the impression that Europe is closer to getting back to more comfortable battery stock levels than in the US. “Whole supply chains are now looking to move away from ‘just-in-time’ delivery to ‘just-in-case’ delivery and build some buffer stocks.” Although lead supplies have tightened globally, there has been a polarization or regional imbalance, with a tighter US and an easier China, he says. “With Europe also tightening— notably since the idling of Ecobat’s Stolberg smelter in Germany due to catastrophic flooding in July 2021— the regional imbalance is reflected in dwindling LME lead stocks around the world (excluding China).” Scott Fink, president of Sorfin Yoshimura, believes, like MAC’s Bournas, that these problems will be with us for longer than we like. He says one reason for this is that the cash infusions that governments made, when they added liquidity after Covid, were focused on the demand side. “Unfortunately, they mis-estimated how highly efficient manufacturing was and how difficult manufacturing would be to get back to that same level of pre-Covid efficiency,” he says. “It’s just not something that is going to come back overnight.” Fink reckons the supply chain problems could take until 2023 to be resolved — or even longer. It’s all part of a possibly fragmenting world economy. “Inflationary pressures continue to get worse,” Fink says. “You are seeing populist trends in some countries that are regionalizing businesses pulling back from global trade relationships. If these worsen they could impact the business dramatically because We will see new

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COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS supply sources but they are not easy to switch over. “I’m hoping we are dealing with a situation that is improving, but there’s a lot of factors at play here and when you have a lot of variables it is hard to know what the outcome is going to be.” Logistics A container crisis has added to existing supply chain disruption causing huge headaches for the lead-acid battery manufacturing industry and is component suppliers. A lack of ocean freight availability plus exorbitant costs led to what Hawkes describes as a logistical logjam, which had initially prevented excess lead held inside China from getting to where it is more sorely

needed, in the US and Europe in particular. However, Chinese lead exports have been surging from August 2021 onwards and 2021 exports have been the highest levels seen since 2007, says Hawkes: “Shanghai Future Exchange stocks have been falling sharply since September, but LME stocks remain low, reflecting that the world outside China remains tight on lead supplies to meet demand.” Over the past 30 years globalization has overtaken the industrial world. There was a logic to it at the beginning, says Fink, but in the end people became indifferent to sourcing in their own regions, says Fink. “They were open to finding new and interesting sources regardless of where

they were in the world because it was fairly predictable to get something from point A to point B. That predictability is now out of the window.” Many battery manufacturers cultivated supply sources as much as 10,000 miles away from where they work and now, they need to cultivate more localized supply sources again, he says. So, what’s the solution? “The solution is diversifying your supply sources,” says Fink. It’s having different regional supply sources. It’s utilising warehouse and inventory management. It’s taking advantage of cheap money and putting more inventory on your shelves using that liquidity. That should hopefully get you through some of these troubling moments.”

THE LITHIUM BATTERY SUPPLY CHAIN

Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at Benchmark Minerals, discusses supply chain problems across the battery industry more widely and lithium-ion in particular. What has been the most pressure on the battery supply chain in the past year or so? “The standout factor has been increasing costs across the board, much of the focus has been on lithium where prices for Benchmark’s domestic Chinese battery grade lithium carbonate increased 496% in the 12 months between January last year and this January, but many other prices have increased also. “Cobalt hydroxide, the preferred feedstock for the battery supply chain, increased 122% in 2021, and nickel sulphate prices were up by

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18% over the year also. “Further to this there have been large increases in logistics costs, primarily for container shipping, and energy prices which have impacted global supply chains across the board.”

to China — the main route is via Durban in South Africa — has been particularly challenging. “This has caused delays of material and played a part in the high cobalt prices seen over the previous 12 months.”

Do you see these pressures resolved soon, or will they be added to by increased demand for EVs going forward? “Some pressures are starting to resolve themselves, shipping rates are starting to improve and should continue to do so as the Covid situation alleviates, but raw materials prices continue to increase. For example, the domestic Chinese battery grade lithium carbonate price in the first two weeks of January increased by 21% alone, as assessed by ourselves, due to tight supply and high demand. “The lithium market has now entered a supply deficit which is expected to remain until the late 2020s when supply can catch up with demand. As such, pressure in the supply chain is not expected to ease anytime soon.”

How can the battery supply chain issues be improved — and quickly? “There is no quick resolution to the issues in the immediate term, setting up new mines or processing facilities takes years. Some of these operations are in construction but more are needed. “The positive news is that the high prices across battery minerals markets are sufficient enough to accelerate supply chain investments which should speed up new capacity build out.”

Has the container crisis had an effect? “The container crisis has played a role across cobalt and graphite in particular, influencing prices and limiting supply availability. For example, shipping from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Can the circular economy help in the short term? “In reality large volumes of battery grade chemicals from recycled cells are some time away. Typically, cells will be in use in an EV for over 10 years, as such, even with the large numbers of EVs being sold today, significant volumes aren’t expected until towards the end of the decade. “Until then the main source of recycled content in cells will be battery scrap from cell production, which can go some way to help, but will not be sufficient enough, to close the supply gap.”

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COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS Historically, one advantage lead batteries have had over their lithium counterparts is their affordability. The difference between the two has narrowed over the year but it’s now set to widen. The reason? The flawed supply chain and resource availability.

The rise and fall … and rise again of the lithium battery pack price Last November, analysis conducted by BloombergNEF found lithium-ion battery pack prices had fallen by 89% in real terms since 2010, when they were above $1,200/kWh. They had dropped by 6% between 2020 and 2021 alone, averaging $132kWh in 2021 compared with $140kWh the year before. “Continuing cost reductions bode well for the future of electric vehicles, which rely on lithium-ion technology,” BNEF said. “However,” it admitted, “the impact of rising commodity prices and increased costs for key materials such as electrolytes put pressure on the industry in the second half of the year.” At first glance, the figures looked good: on a regional basis, pack prices were cheapest in China, at $111/kWh — not far off the Holy Grail price of $100 and parity with lead. But in the same analysis, BNEF said that even the cheapest lithium battery technology, lithium iron phosphate, had become more expensive due to its exposure to lithium carbonate prices through the supply chain, and after September, Chinese producers raised LFP prices by 10%-20%. Despite this, BNEF still predicted that average pack prices would fall below $100/kWh by 2024 — a brave forecast in view of the fact that, in the same piece, it admitted rising raw material costs would force prices up to $135/kWh this year. “In the absence of other improvements that can mitigate this impact, this could mean that the point at which prices fall below $100/kWh could be pushed back by two years,” it said. “This would impact EV affordability or manufacturers’ margins and could hurt the economics of energy storage projects.”

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Mark Beveridge, principal consultant with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, doesn’t believe that lithium batteries can fall to the $100/kWh price. Put simply, it’s because of the problems with raw materials and supply chains.

Volatile raw materials

“There are different approaches to thinking about how you can forecast battery production costs over time,” he says. “In the past, people tried to look at other industries and applied the kind of efficiency gains or learning over time, and the progression of technological advances, and that has led to a sense that you’ll have this decrease in li-ion cell costs, but it ignores the hard core of costs in being dependent on your raw materials.

“So there will be tech advances and efficiency gains, and cutting down the amount of materials you need to produce a kWh of storage capacity, but we’ve seen the volatility of raw materials prices that have overwhelmed the savings that potentially might have been there for those reasons.” Although a major factor, supply chain problems are not the only issue affecting the price of raw materials. It’s getting them out of the ground in the first place, even if there are abundant resources. “Mining is more complicated,” says Beveridge. “It has a tendency to get more expensive than people who start out on projects realize. “There is a high degree of uncertainty and timelines are that bit longer.

BNEF predicts rising raw material costs would force prices up to $135/kWh this year www.batteriesinternational.com

COVER STORY: SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS The ability of the market to accommodate differences in supply on the lead side is stronger and the predictability is a lot higher because of recycling “With cell plants, you could probably get one up and running within three years. With mining, at the very best it is six or seven years or even longer, so lead times involved in the supply chain differ and ultimately they can’t be separated from one another. Once a cell plant is up and running, if it’s dependent on a mine that’s not producing, it’s scuppered.” EV batteries: expensive Unlike internal combustion engine cars, whose lead batteries can cost as little as $60, an EV battery is a major portion of the overall cost, running to a minimum of about 10 times as much. Jimmy Herring, CEO of battery recycling giant Ecobat [see full interview elsewhere in this issue] which intends to start lithium battery recycling in the next couple of years, says: “It will be interesting to see how the general population of EV consumers will react over the next few years. “The first generation of EV vehicles has a 10-year lifespan that we haven’t reached yet. “Under warranty the owner doesn’t care, but there will be a shock when the average consumer realizes replac-

ing the battery of the car they’ve had for 10 years will cost them $2,600 just for labour to take it out — a new battery will be $6,000 — one to two thousand to dispose of the previous one — how much news that makes will be interesting,” Herring says. “Will people really want to spend that much money putting a new battery in an EV that’s already 10 years old? People are really excited about EVs but have they really thought it through?” The uncertainty of lithium prices is not matched in the lead battery world because of its maturity, says CBI’s technical director Matt Raiford. “Lead batteries went down that commodity pricing path and have matured into a technology and the industry knows how to deal with it. All these cost projections per kWh, a large percentage of the battery is tied to the materials costs so if they go up, the batteries will go up. “The ability of the market to accommodate differences in supply on the lead side is stronger and the predictability is a lot higher because of recycling. It provides a key advantage in terms of predicting and giving accurate ideas about what the cost per kWh will be as opposed to lithium.”

NO END IN SIGHT TO ACUTE SHORTAGE OF LITHIUM BATTERIES As well as cost and carbon concerns, the shortage of lithium ion batteries globally is bound to lead to a reconsideration of which batteries to buy, especially in applications that do not require the light weight of a lithium battery, such as UPS, grid and telecoms backup, where lead battery sales are already seeing double-digit growth. A February 2022 report by North Carolina intelligence firm, Beroe, predicts there will be supply chain bottlenecks from China for at least the first half of this year, and that Europe is ramping up its production to alleviate dependency on China. Tech companies are also re-engineering their designs to gradually replace li-ion battery dependency, the report says, although the chips needed for the new products that Beroe says will do the job are also in short supply. “The shortage has been catalytic to greater innovation and better design,” says senior analyst Saptaparni Kundu. “One future trend is clear: the arrival of a new product base that reduces dependency on China as the supplier of raw materials.” For Stryten Energy, it’s the stranglehold China has on the industry that it wants to overcome. CEO Tim Vargo says China “controls a lot of the lithium inventory around the world and it’s not going to just give it up”. “When you have a totalitarian regime, you can do what you please and that’s what they’ve done, boxed the rest of the world out with a decade’s head start. “That’s why other storage chemistries are going to become so much important.”

“One future trend is clear: the arrival of a new product base that reduces dependency on China as the supplier of raw materials”

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 61

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ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES

A vision of hype over substance

If electric cars are the future — ‘why does that future seem to be such a long time coming?’ www.batteriesinternational.com

Are we really going to move into a whizzy world of all electric vehicles by 2040? Everything from the lack of raw materials, supply chain difficulties, and the imprecision of government mandates — not forgetting the enormous stresses about to be put on national grids — suggests the EV revolution won’t happen anytime soon. There’s even a question of how CO2 footprints will increase over any transition. Hot air or credible proposals? A few months ago world leaders competed to tout their environmental credentials at the UN climate change conference — or some of them did, others such as China, now the world’s largest car manufacturer didn’t. But in the strange mix of common sense and fantasy that characterized much of the talks, one universal theme emerged. The need to put electric vehicles and battery production at the heart of ambitious plans to tackle climate change. For two nations — the US and the UK — it was a reinforcement of a common sloganizing: ‘Build Back Better’ (whatever that quite means). For the past few years, the two nations have been at the forefront of providing financial incentives to give their economies a green makeover, including promoting home-grown EV and battery-making industries. Where the two went, others have followed. The UK, for example, confirmed in November 2020 that sales of new petrol and diesel cars in the country would end by 2030. It was a strange decision more led by political expediency than common sense. Just months later in May 2021, the House of Commons Environmental

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ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES Audit Committee warned that “at least eight gigafactories will need to be operational by 2040” in the UK to meet anticipated demand for EVs. Committee chairman Philip Dunne said the road to banning petrol and diesel cars “could be rocky, with challenges in manufacturing capacity, a skilled workforce and extraction of critical components”. The fact of the matter is that, as one lead commentator described the first announcements at the time, “these EV mandates are uncosted, ill-thought out and unwarranted. They’re foolish statements of policy in the face of a huge number of unknowns and unknown unknowns too! “This isn’t something that is particular to the UK, it’s folly on an international scale.” The anticipated growth of electric vehicles has been accompanied by panic in the lead battery industry, amid fears that the transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs could spell disaster for the lead and lead battery industry. As more countries began setting targets for the phase-out of ICE vehicles, it seemed as if their fears were justified: if all 1.4 billion cars on the planet suddenly didn’t need their starter batteries, where would this leave the lead battery? In fact, the wave of mandates has been more like a ripple, and in any case, apart from a potential few topend Teslas, electric cars all need a smaller back-up lead battery anyway. Improvements in lead battery technology and demand from other applications will also help reduce any shrinkage in an industry which so far is still seeing plenty of growth — a compound annual growth rate of 4.3% between 2020 and 2025, according to Mordor Intelligence. The Consortium for Battery Innovation predicts that from 2020 to 2030, the global lead battery market will grow from 415GWh to 490GWh, with 71% of that in the SLI sector. At last year’s COP26 summit in Scotland, 33 countries agreed to set laws that banned the sale of new ICE vehicles by certain dates. So far only about 20 have actually set the mandates in stone, according to the International Energy Agency’s EV Outlook 2021. They include mainly western countries and some US states but not the whole of the US — which is ranked second in the world in terms of the number of annual new car sales (15 million), according to the Factory

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“It takes four to five times more energy to form a lithium battery than a lead one, And what’s producing the energy to charge the battery? Warranty List, a US-based dealer and consumer automotive guide. China, the leading country for car sales (around 21.5 million a year), has a policy to ban sales of traditional ICEs by 2035 but it will still allow sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Japan, ranked third in new car sales (4.5 million), has set a mandate for 2035, but plug-ins can still be sold. India, the fourth country in sales rankings (3 million), did put forward

an intention to remove all but electric vehicles from its roads by 2030, but has had to revise it because it is unachievable. Most countries have not put EV mandates in place, such as Brazil, which records new car sales of almost 2 million a year, or Mexico, where 1 million are sold. It means that lead batteries will still be required for nearly every new car sold around the globe for years to come, and while that might mean smaller batteries, more are likely to be demanded. The CBI’s technical director Matt Raiford says: “What we are seeing from manufacturers is that some have one extra battery, some have two or even three — so we’re trying to understand the market and the ramifications for the 12V battery on the auto side.

Biden and electric Jeep. The US is ranked second in the world in terms of the number of annual new car sales (15 million)

Japan, ranked third in new car sales (4.5 million), has set a mandate for 2035, but plugins can still be sold

“These EV mandates are uncosted, ill-thought out and unwarranted. They’re foolish statements of policy in the face of a huge number of unknowns — and unknown unknowns too! This isn’t something that is particular to the UK, it’s folly on an international scale” www.batteriesinternational.com

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ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES WEF PUZZLED BY EV UNPOPULARITY

Mega gigafactories of the future: now facing limited supplies

“We’re working on that and we conservatively predict the auxiliary battery market will help neutralize some of the shrinkage in growth of ICEs being phased out.” Electric vehicles are gaining ground because of the emissions argument and world hysteria over carbon. But just how valid is it? “There used to be this scientific argument based around carbon and carbon footprint,” says Raiford. “But there have been some damning reports coming out that say, depending on the actual supply chain for the batteries used in EVs, the amount of carbon necessary to get the materials out of the ground, move them, refine them, put them into a battery — then if you look at the carbon footprint across the entire life of an EV, in some cases it’s higher than an ICE vehicle. “In most cases it’s comparable. Which makes you think — what are we doing?” The problems with recycling lithium batteries are well known, although more companies, for example Ecobat, are planning to step into the area to help tackle an issue that cannot be ignored forever. But it’s not just end of life wherein lies the problem. If the aim of the EV

“You look at the carbon footprint across the entire life of an EV, in some cases it’s higher than an ICE vehicle. In most cases it’s comparable. Which makes you think — what are we doing?” www.batteriesinternational.com

transition is to cut carbon emissions, claims that producing an EV battery cause the same, if not more, surely makes the switch an unnecessary cost of incalculable proportions. “It takes four to five times more energy to form a lithium battery than a lead one,” says Raiford. “And what’s producing the energy to charge the battery? “In Norway it’s all geothermal — and it makes a lot of sense. But in other areas of the world, is that the case? Also if the EV mandates cause people to hold on to their ICE vehicle, the age of the fleet is going to get higher and that’s not great. “You can have lofty goals, but in the background there have to be some practical initiatives supported by the market. “Lithium recycling, for instance, is a great idea and I hope they figure it out, but they’re not going to make any money out of it for at least 10 years. “No lithium-ion battery manufacturer is using secondary supply. Why would they? It’s more expensive. Perhaps in the future that’ll not be the case but at present we don’t know what’s going to happen.” Another problem yet to be tackled satisfactorily is the move to use cheaper LiFePO4 batteries which have a safety and price advantage but lack the energy density required for automotive speed, They also have almost little recycling value — indeed the cost of recycling (they cannot be dumped in landfill) means that they add an extra cost at the end of an EV’s life. A routine rule of thumb used to be that 10% of the new value of the battery would be required to disassemble and dispose of the contents — a $10,000 new battery would require $1,000.

Even the World Economic Forum (WEF) admits that electric cars have not been as popular as it had hoped. The organization believes EVs ‘have an indispensable role to play in tackling climate change’, but asks if electric cars are the future — ‘why does that future seem to be such a long time coming?’ The WEF cites four main reasons for the slow uptake across the world: first, obvious one, cost; second, the shortage of chargers; third, lack of microchips; and finally, the risk of battery fires. In an effort to speed up the vehicle electrification process, the WEF in January 2020 convened the Global Battery Alliance, an organization of 42 global automotive, mining, chemicals and energy companies, which set out 10 ‘guiding principles’ to create a sustainable battery chain by 2030. Members include lead battery companies Clarios and Amara Raja and the International Lead Association. The principles are “maximizing the productivity of batteries, enabling a productive and safe second life use, circular recovery of battery materials, ensuring transparency of greenhouse gas emissions and their progressive reduction, prioritizing energy efficiency measures and increasing the use of renewable energy, fostering battery-enabled renewable energy integration, high quality job creation and skills development, eliminating child and forced labour, protecting public health and the environment and supporting responsible trade and anti-corruption practices, local value creation and economic diversification”. For the lead battery industry, a lot of these principles fit already, But it will be a monumental task to phase out ICE cars so quickly, especially considering the WEF itself estimates that 290 million charging points will have to be installed worldwide by 2040 at a cost of some $500 billion. And that’s just one of a host of other costs to come.

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HYBRID ENERGY STORAGE The idea of combining the best properties of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries is not new — but revolutionary technology being rolled out at The Royal Mint is giving the concept a renewed momentum.

A game-changer for lead and lithium New, cutting-edge, battery technology that combines the virtues of both lead-acid and lithium-ion battery chemistries could both support the rapid acceleration of energy storage requirements globally and represent a fillip to a lead-acid battery sector increasingly marginalized from this burgeoning market — if an ambitious new project at The Royal Mint in Wales goes to plan. That is the thinking behind the creation of a state-of the-art multi-technology energy centre in Wales that will consist of a 2MW solar farm, wind turbine, hydrogen-ready combined heat and power unit and a dual

chemistry energy storage system. The ESS is designed to meet the energy storage requirements of the grid — from immediate demands such as frequency response to longer term needs such as are found with UPS systems. The lead/lithium battery hybrid, set within a containerized energy storage system, will be controlled by a bespoke battery management system developed by battery firm GS Yuasa, the University of Sheffield, and Infinite, a renewable energy developer set up in 2010. The centre at The Royal Mint is one of up to seven being planned by

Infinite as part of a Generation Storage Consumption Supply (GSCS) project grant funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Albion Community Power. The technology has taken years to develop and refine, as its inventors will explain. But they are also acutely aware of the significance of what they have developed and its potential to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges as companies of all sizes come under growing pressure to strive for carbon neutral. And it is the introduction of leadacid chemistry into the solution that has captured the imagination of the

Project director Peter Stevenson inside the container

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HYBRID ENERGY STORAGE energy storage community, says Peter Stevenson, senior technical coordinator at GS Yuasa Battery Europe. He says there is a growing acceptance that the industry is obliged to leverage all available resources and chemistries to find the solutions the world will require. “The rapid proliferation of megawatt scale energy storage in recent years has mainly employed lithiumion technology,” Stevenson says. “But the need for energy storage is set to expand massively in the coming decades to support the electrification of a wide range of industries. It will be necessary to apply all available resources in the most appropriate ways possible. “While low energy density precludes the use of lead acid in most portable or vehicle applications, it has a long-established pedigree for megawatt scale back-up power solutions. “By combining the operational flexibility of lithium ion with the sustainability of lead acid, especially for longer term storage, it will enable lead acid to play a greatly expanded role in the decarbonization of electricity grids and renewable microgrids worldwide.” Andrew Crossman, director, Infinite Renewables, agrees on both the scale of the challenge and the potential of this solution. “To solve the problems of climate change and pollution, while moving from a linear to a circular economy, industries will need proper deployment of battery technologies and energy storage,” he says. “The dual chemistry ESS could provide the optimum storage solution to help makes this happen. The unique properties of the combined chemistries could increase the demand for lead acid use in combined chemistry ESS, a space which is currently being championed by Lithium-ion alone. “The GSCS project at The Royal Mint enables the deployment of a dual chemistry ESS at scale and provides the opportunity to quantify the additional benefits created by combining the chemistries.” Collaboration and chemistries GS Yuasa pioneered the original dual chemistry technology. Its aim was to combine the strengths of lithium-ion batteries such as cycle life, high discharge rate, high charging rate, partial SOC operation, high efficiency and high energy density with the positives of lead-acid batteries: their lower

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Some of the earliest work in this area, developing the idea that the differences between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries could also be complementary when used in large scale hybrid ESS, was conducted some 10 years ago by US-based battery manufacturer Eagle Picher price, simple control mechanisms, resilience to abuse, abundant raw materials and low embodied energy. To develop the dual chemistry ESS, it partnered with Infinite Renewables, the University of Sheffield, and Innovate UK to develop the hybrid platform. ADEPT (ADvanced multiEnergy management and oPTimization time shifting platform) was constructed and is fully operational at the Yuasa battery manufacturing facility on the Rassau Industrial Estate in Ebbw Vale, Wales. The ADEPT platform used at Infinite’s Energy Centre at the Royal Mint features two GS Yuasa battery systems: a 75kWh lithium-ion battery system of 36 GS Yuasa LIM50 modules alongside a Yuasa-branded SLR1000 250kWh Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery system containing the latest technology to achieve greater than 5,000 cycles.

The two systems are connected to a 100kW bi-direction power conversion unit as well as full monitoring and battery management systems. The cells are connected in series to produce high voltage 350kWh battery units. The GS Yuasa LIM50Ah lithium-ion cells are connected in parallel with the VRLA cells, on the DC bus of a single bi-directional Power Conversion System. Crossman says the dual chemistry battery system stores the renewable generation, which is then released, under the control of the ADEPT micro-grid manager, to provide optimum commercial benefit from demand management services. This balances the unstable, varied nature of renewable production and provides optimum energy security. “The dual chemistry ESS is a unique and completely containerized solution, allowing it to be integrated

“Combining the fast response of lithium-ion with the endurance of lead acid can work in a complementary way to provide economical and sustainable solutions for numerous storage services from the same system — a perfect combination for a local energy centre.”

The containerized product enables the system can readily deployed

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 69

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HYBRID ENERGY STORAGE rapidly into any renewable energy micro-grid configuration and avoiding the need for internal space,” Crossman says. “Combining the fast response of lithium-ion with the endurance of lead acid can work in a complementary way to provide economical and sustainable solutions for numerous storage services from the same system — a perfect combination for a local energy centre.” Stevenson at GS Yuasa says the relatively simple efficiency of the end results has been achieved through the careful selection of cell capacities and the unique characteristics of the batteries used. “GS Yuasa have shown that the operational performance of the two chemistries can be enhanced synergistically,” he says. Lead-acid batteries have benefits for long-term sustainability based on their ease of recycling, simple safety management and low capital cost for medium to long term storage solutions. By using them in combination with lithium-ion cells, the overall charging rates and efficiencies can be increased compared with using the same sets of cells independently. “The flexibility of an operation can be improved, with the possibility for continuous use in partial states of charge and the elimination of equalizing charge periods,” he says. “The lithium-ion component can provide high power pulses at any state of charge and short term duty cycles automatically focus on these cells. The ageing rates of both cell types are reduced when they are used together, providing an extended service life and increased return on investment.” Pioneers and innovators Combining the two chemistries was never an obvious thing to do due to the different way in which each chemistry operates. “Individual cells of lead acid and lithium ion have completely different operating voltage ranges so it is not immediately obvious that they could be connected in parallel,” he admits. Some of the earliest work in this area, developing the idea that the differences between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries could also be complementary when used in large scale hybrid ESS, was conducted some 10 years ago by US-based battery manufacturer Eagle Picher. The company developed what it called the PowerPyramid, a stor-

72 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Inga Noak: “The reliance on grid electricity has fallen by almost 70% — from 97% to 30%”

age system that co-locates lead and lithium batteries with separate power conversion and control equipment. GS Yuasa then took the concept further. “Because GS Yuasa has years of experience designing, manufacturing and operating both chemistries, we could identify the possibility to eliminate the duplication of power conversion and energy management costs by directly connecting the two chemistries in parallel,” says Stevenson. Laboratory studies by GS Yuasa in Europe and Japan, at the 48V level, confirmed the practicality of this approach. The technology was developed to

the point it went to market. A 48V dual chemistry system has been marketed since 2016 for off-grid telecom base stations. Then, in 2018, GS Yuasa Europe, working with Infinite Renewables, received UK government funding to produce the first high voltage dual chemistry system. This was created at the GS Yuasa manufacturing facility in Ebbw Vale, Wales and continues to provide 100kW a day for peak shaving of the factory power demand. Other systems have been installed at Portsmouth International Port and in south wales for micro-grid integration projects. The Royal Mint ESS, however, represents a step up to near megawatt power levels in the next stage of large-scale storage applications — and by playing an integral part in wider energy centre leveraging multiple technologies, it will also demonstrate its real-world value. What is more, the high profile of The Royal Mint, which will draw some 72% of the 25GWh of energy it uses annually from the scheme, will also help raise the profile of this technology. Crossman at Infinite says that the benefits to The Royal Mint will be twofold: in addition to dramatically reducing its carbon footprint by 30%-40%, it will also save it money

The Royal Mint ESS represents a step up to near megawatt power levels in the next stage of largescale storage applications

The ‘daffodil’ wind turbine which will be integrated into the local energy centre at The Royal Mint

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HYBRID ENERGY STORAGE The GSCS project is targeting a total of seven energy centre schemes to be built by mid-2023 in West Wales and the Valleys region of South Wales in the context of skyrocketing energy prices. He says that the GSCS system will embed the on-site renewable energy, low carbon generation and heat supply directly into the heat and power networks of The Royal Mint. “This provides the Mint with a baseload supply of green and low carbon heat and power that will substantially reduce its carbon footprint. It will also reduce exposure to the volatile energy markets,” he says. The reduction in the carbon footprint would equate to a reduction of 24,500-32,700 tonnes of CO2 over the lifetime of the project,” Crossman says.

The partners initially considered the current and predicted future energy and heat requirements at The Royal Mint. “This base load information enabled the target generation of the system to be sized accordingly,” he says. Then, a number of additional factors were considered. These included: the area of available land adjacent ,to and on site, at The Royal Mint; the available grid capacity; and planning considerations in conjunction with ecological constraints. “A financial model was used to then further refine the budget available for each element of the project and

the returns required for the business case. This identified the maximum capex costs which could be allocated to each element,” he says. From the perspective of the Royal Mint, the biggest benefit, especially in the context of soaring energy prices, is the reduction on its reliance on grid electricity by almost 70% — from 97% to 30%. “This further improves the security and sustainability of our energy supply and forms part of our wider net zero ambitions,” says Inga Doak, head of sustainability at The Royal Mint. This project is just one of a much wider ESG strategy for The Royal Mint. She says that, given its 1,100year history, being a sustainable organization is integral to its operations. It even has a formal sustainability framework to guide the decisions it makes and the way it operates.

PROJECT COMPLEXITIES AND GETTING THE FINE PRINT RIGHT Despite the meticulous planning, the project has not had a smooth ride. Covid threw a major spanner in the works as did a rapid increase in the cost of materials compounded with the recent volatility in the energy markets. The project is now anticipated to be installed and operational by the fourth quarter of 2022. Crossman says the companies involved have learned much from what has been a steep learning curve. Some of the other challenges it has had to deal with include the complexity of legal contracts, planning consents and complications around its design. “During the development phase, the project involved a large number of interdependent moving parts. The installation of multi-technology generation and storage presents a number of challenges,” he says. In terms of legal contracts, land agreements and energy contracts for each technology were needed to act independently as well as interacting with each other. “This led to complex and protracted negotiations. A clear overall understanding of all the legal requirements for each project is essential at the offset, as well as a realistic timeframe for completion,” he says. Planning consents and their

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environmental impact presented another challenge. These had a cumulative effect and meant the developers had to present each technology independently but within the context of the additional technologies. “Initial consultation with the relevant planning authority to explain the overall ambitions for the project helps provide clarity and raise potential issues at an early stage,” he says. Project design and connectivity became an evolution with each component having to relate to the other technologies and to the onsite parameters. “If budget allows, the project infrastructure should be over engineered and designed for future capacity, allowing additional generation and storage to be developed to realize net carbon zero ambitions,” he says. A final challenge related to the technical difficulties around how a microgrid works in practical terms, as its application is adapted on a siteby-site basis. While all microgrids have three commonalities — locally produced energy, an energy storage system and a smart management system (to ensure the continuous balance between electricity generation and demand), there are also many differences depending on the nature

Andrew Crossman, director, Infinite Renewables

of the site and their use. In this case, the GSCS microgrids are connected on the meter side of a candidate site and operate isolated from the grid network. This connection arrangement enables the participating site to supplement its power from the grid when site demand is higher than local generation but isolates the local generation from the grid supply. Crossman says: “Each site has a different power profile and the microgrid enables the locally generated power to be optimized to specific demand requirements. Once each site becomes operational, the energy management system will maximize the use of the local generation and maximize the financial benefits to the site.”

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HYBRID ENERGY STORAGE Some of the additional initiatives it has launched include developing science-based targets, focusing on how it will achieve net zero emissions; dedicating part of its factory to the recovery of precious metals; retaining skills and employment; recycling coins into bars on site; and pioneering technology that can recover precious metals from electronic waste in seconds; reusing natural resources and tackling one of the world’s biggest environmental issues. Doak says the new energy centre’s capacity was calculated in a way that should future proof the project and allow for future expansion. “Consistency of energy supplied, green energy and energy storage were the main parameters of the project,” she says. “The half hourly data of the plant was taken into account over several years of data to match the design of the machinery to the running of

The benefits to The Royal Mint will be twofold: in addition to dramatically reducing its carbon footprint by 30%-40%, it will also save it money in the context of skyrocketing energy prices the Royal Mint as a whole.” Once the project is completed and operational, however, it will also represent just the start of a new journey for its architects who will be looking to assess and learn much more from its performance in the real world. Crossman says that performance related data will be monitored and the project impact on emissions can be fully evaluated In turn, that will inform the way they approach other projects. Much will be learned from The Royal Mint project that will be applied in these other developments.

“The energy centre model provides an excellent opportunity for de-centralized distribution in industrial areas,” says Crossman. “The business case focuses on ‘anchor’ tenants within each industrial estate, who provide the base load for the business model. “Energy intensive users on industrial estates that are striving to achieve net carbon zero, will provide ideal candidate anchor tenants for an energy centre project. Once the base centre is established, the energy centre can expand throughout the estate, connecting tenants and helping them realize their net carbon zero goals.”

Essential reading - Batteries International magazine W A R N I N G MAY B E A D D I C TI V E Accurate, intelligent and incisive reporting on the global battery and energy storage technology world Each issue includes: n Global news round-up n Exclusive in depth features on new and promising battery and energy storage applications n Case studies of advances in battery productions to bring high performance, cost effective products to market n Analysis and forecasts on different markets and technologies from leading consultants and experts in the field n Examination of policy around the world that is enabling investment and growth in battery and energy storage technologies n Updated events calendar

76 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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CURING CHAMBERS Curing chambers are an essential part of the battery manufacturing process — fixing the pasting to make a longer lasting product.

The march of advanced technology into traditional production techniques Curing is integral to lead-acid battery manufacturing. It is a critical process in battery manufacture, immediately following the pasting of lead oxide to grid plates, ensuring the life of the plates during cycling. Curing also affects crystal chemical composition, the crystals’ size, the porosity and the mass/grid adhesion. Yavuz Sarıçam, general manager and owner of Zesar, describes curing as a living process in which the morphological structure of the plates continues to change, the free metallic lead parts in the paste are oxidized and crystal structures are formed. It ensures that the crystal structures connect with each other and adhere to the grid surface. “Surface areas are formed that will affect the electrical performance of the plates,” says Sarıçam. “Curing chambers are vital for controlling production that allow you to reach the desired structures for the curing process quickly and reliably.” “Proper curing optimizes the charging of batteries while a poor curing will just be more expensive to the manufacturer in all of the production process,” says Stefanos Kanidis, design and development manager at Pinco. Kanadis, who joined Pinco in March last year, after spending 21 years most latterly as plant director and chief technology officer at Systems Sunlight, was hired to design and develop the firm’s latest generation of curing chambers. “Curing is necessary in order to have the negative and positive plates in the correct characteristics before assembling the cells, to achieve consistency, endurance, longevity and the right operational profile in the battery,” he says. Curing is best achieved in a closed chamber with a controlled temperature, a precise relative humidity and the correct airflow conditions. This part of the lead-acid battery manufac-

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turing process has stayed very much the same over the past 30 years but that doesn’t mean that processes can’t be improved on. The technology appears straightforward and consists of controlled circulation and flow of humified air in the curing phase and the circulation of dry air in the drying phase that follows. However, it can entail a tailor-made curing chamber for optimum effect. Different companies differ in their approach and the technology they employ. International Thermal Systems ITS has been in business for over 50 years. It manufactures industrial ovens, furnaces and washers, working closely with customers from design to installation and throughout the

life of the equipment. ITS says it continues to perfect its recipes and processes to minimize waste and to improve efficiency — not only efficiencies within the manufacturing process but also the efficiency of the batteries themselves. “Customers are improving their manufacturing process by implementing robotic stacking of the plates rather than manual stacking which reduces human exposure to lead dust,” says Ben Biwer, ITS global sales manager for batteries. “We are also working to reduce curing times for advanced crystal growth. Innovations continue to occur in separator materials as well as the ingredients in the lead oxide recipes to prolong battery life and defence against stratification.”

“We are also working to reduce curing times for advanced crystal growth. Innovations continue to occur in separator materials as well as the ingredients in the lead oxide recipes to prolong battery life and defence against stratification” — ITS Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 77

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CURING CHAMBERS The way in which the company’s products are different from others, he says, is due to their ability to reduce lead dust in the air during the manufacturing process. “Our FlashMaid plate flash dryer will automatically remove lead oxide dust particles from the lower ductwork and deposit them into a removable tray. The name comes from Maid because it cleans up after itself,” he says. “The self-cleaning feature means less downtime for maintenance and end stands incorporate integrated baghouse connections. Lead oxide dust particle buildup can waste energy absorbing heat and restrict airflow. “While the process is the same, most of the HydroCure chambers and FlashMaid dryers that leave our facility are built specifically for the customer’s manufacturing line,” he says. Zesar — cost efficiencies through heat recovery Zesar has been a battery equipment and technology supplier in Europe since 1976. Zesar’s curing process of approximately 210,000 plates in one cycle, is based on Exmet (non-structurally reinforced) type plates. The company says its products provide a 30% cost efficiency with the heat recovery achieved with a special design that can be customized for customers to their own performance and safety characteristics. Sarıçam says Zesar’s high technology production power, strong sales, marketing and technical service network, provides a fast, reliable, service to meet customer special requests from Manisa, Turkey to customers in Europe, Middle East Asia and Africa: In the future, continuous systems may become widespread. “At Zesar, we continue to work to create structures that unite all processes,” says Sarıçam.

veloped to speed up and industrialize lead acid battery production, as part of its collaboration with the Magneti Marelli’s R&D department. “In 1978, when Magneti Marelli began developing the industrialization of batteries made with expanded strip, the need for steam curing ovens became evident,” says Marfisi. When the method of plate collection was changed from vertical to horizontal to facilitate the construction of grids with expanded strip, the plates

Zesar’s products provide a 30% cost efficiency with the heat recovery achieved with a special design that can be customized for customers to their own performance and safety characteristics.

CAM — ‘a moister environment’ Founded in 1967, CAM manufactures industrial equipment for the lead acid battery industry, including oxide ball mills and curing chambers for battery plates. Francesco Marfisi, technical director at CAM, reveals the technology journey to its curing chamber products: CAM’s curing chambers were de-

“The reason for creating moisture by steam is because steam particles are smaller than those generated by atomized water or other systems. Therefore. they penetrate the interstices of the paste more perfectly, thus guaranteeing uniform curing” — CAM www.batteriesinternational.com

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 79

CURING CHAMBERS in the centre of the pile were found to have sulfated, which inhibited the transformation of residual lead into PbO. To solve this problem, CAM, with technicians from Magneti Marelli, realized that they needed to create a moister environment. As a result, prototype curing chambers were built to meet the challenge, trying first with atomized water, then with enriched oxygen, then with radiating pipes immersed in water and finally with radiating pipes on the surface of the water, which created water vapor. The company decided to supply steam directly from a separate generator, and by means of a modulator, maintain a humidity level above 92%, because with humidity levels below 90%, the reaction of the paste, together with the pressure of the pile of plates, impeded the passage of oxygen between the single plates, leading to sulphation. So, a new chamber was built with a central uptake of air originating from the two sides of the chamber by means of adjustable diffusors with two steam injectors on each side. A chamber head was then intro-

duced in which the air is humidified by water vapour that is then sent into the chamber from one side by means of horizontal diffusers occupying the entire wall, and with uptake on the other wall with the same dimensions as the input. “The reason for creating moisture by steam is because steam particles are smaller than those generated by atomized water or other systems,” says Marfisi. “Therefore, they penetrate the interstices of the paste more perfectly, thus guaranteeing uniform curing especially in horizontally arranged plates as attested by our results of <3% free lead and <0.5% residual humidity.” The company is developing a model with the same technical characteristics as the classic Steam Cure, but with zero CO2 emissions and a high level of energy savings. “Furthermore, our new chamber series is equipped with small stand-alone SCADA systems, which allow operators to extrapolate graphics and trends of each cycle,” says Marfisi. Pinco — a CFD solution Pinco SA manufactures different ranges of products, such as drying rooms

for soft confectionery and curing chambers to serve lead acid battery production. Pinco’s particular technology consists of the controlled circulation and flow of humified air in the curing phase and the circulation of dry air in the drying phase that follows. “Starting with the engineering phase, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is made for the required type of plate so that we can improve the air flow inside the chamber and its homogeneity, to achieve the same conditions on every plate,” says “The curing chambers from Pinco are used for starter, industrial and submarine battery applications all over the world with more than 300 units in operation.” Pinco believes that through very accurate sensors systems and a modern visualisation it is possible to achieve the required process control during the entire procedure. The company says it is developing equipment to better control the process, bringing better quality results on the characteristics of the plates by reducing the cycle time and the energy consumption.

“Proper curing optimizes the charging of batteries while a poor curing will just be more expensive to the manufacturer in all of the production process” — Stefanos Kanidis, Pinco 80 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Possible disruption to the events programme As we enter 2022 the events schedule has started to get back to something close to normal. While we have taken every effort to ensure these details are correct, please contact the conference organizers with any queries, or check websites below and throughout the listings for any amendments to the programme. Intersolar Middle East

Battery Japan

March 7 – 9 Dubai, UAE

March 16 – 18 Osaka, Japan

Middle East Energy (MEE), Intersolar, and ees, the leading energy exhibitions are joining hands to co-deliver an outstanding renewables and energy storage event at Middle East Energy 2022.

BATTERY JAPAN is the world’s leading international exhibition for rechargeable battery, showcasing various components, materials, devices for rechargeable battery R&D and manufacturing, and finished rechargeable batteries. It is held three times a year in Tokyo and Osaka.

Contact Solar Promotion GmbH www.intersolar.ae/en/home.html

Interbat March 16 – 18 Moscow, Russia

China International Battery Fair — CIBF

Contact Reed Exhibitions Tel: +81-3-3349-8576 E: bj.jp@rxglobal.com www.batteryjapan.jp/en

March 19 – 21 Shenzhen, China China International Battery Fair (CIBF) is an international exhibition for battery industry, organized every two years. This international meeting and exhibition was first held in Tiajin in 1992. For the last five consecutive terms, CIBF has been held successfully in Shenzhen. Contact CIBF http://en.cibf.org.cn

For the 30th consecutive year, Russia’s battery storage association — better known as INTERBAT — has brought together Russian and international battery manufacturers and suppliers to meet in this, the most prestigious specialized exhibition and trade fair. Contact International Association Interbat www.interbat.ru

Osaka, Japan

Shenzhen, China

Interbattery 2022 • March 17–19 • Seoul, Korea InterBattery 2022 first launched in 2013 in Seoul, Korea, is Korea’s leading battery exhibition showcasing various new products and technologies related to battery industry.

82 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Running concurrently as a part of ‘Energy Plus’, it attracts over 900 domestic and overseas exhibitors and 1,500 booths!

Contact COEX Interbattery Secretariat E: jenn@coex.co.kr http://interbattery.or.kr/en/

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS International Advanced Battery Conference March 28 – 30 Munster, Germany For the 14th international symposium “Kraftwerk Batterie – Advanced Battery Power”, representatives from industry and academia discuss the latest findings along the entire value chain of batteries: the current state of research on lithium-ion batteries, novel battery systems and innovative materials, battery cell production and fields of application as well as second life and recycling. The latest first-hand information and cross-sector content on all aspects of battery development and battery use make up the claim and appeal of the Advanced Battery Power Conference with the preceding Battery Day NRW. Contact Haus Der Technik E: hdt@hdt.de www.battery-power.eu/en/

International Battery Seminar and Exhibit March 28 – 31 Orlando, Florida. USA As the longest-running annual battery industry event in the world, this meeting has always been the preferred venue to announce significant developments, new products, and showcase the most advanced battery technology. Contact Cambridge Enertech www.internationalbatteryseminar.com

The Battery Technology Show — USA April 5 – 7 Detroit, Novi. MI The Battery Technology Show brings together thousands of delegates to discover the latest developments. The event’s two conference tracks will also allow visitors to hear from some of the leading companies and individuals shaping the forthcoming revolution.

RE+ Texas April 21 – 22 San Antonio, Texas. USA Since it’s debut in San Antonio, Texas in 2016, the event has garnered the attention of industry leaders and professionals from all cross-sections of the energy industry. Each year, the event has grown to welcome more than 400 attendees and 40 exhibitors and continues to evolve to include the energy storage industry. Contact Solar Power Events E: customerservice@sets.solar www.re-plus.events/texas

India Energy Storage Week — IESW May 1 – 6 New Delhi, India IESA is organizing the 8th edition of annual flagship conference, India Energy Storage Week in New Delhi. IESW was incorporated in 2019 as IESA’s annual conference and expo to promote and adopt energy storage, e-mobility & green hydrogen technologies for a sustainable future. It is India’s premier B2B networking & business event focused on renewable energy, advanced batteries, alternate energy storage solutions, electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, green hydrogen and microgrids ecosystem. The forthcoming edition of IESW is expected to attract global participation with an intent to facilitate bi-lateral trade, which will invite 20+ countries, 50+ regulators & policy makers, 50+ partners & exhibitors, 1000+ delegates and 10,000+ visitors. Contact India Energy Storage Alliance E: contact@indiaesa.info www.energystorageweek.in

Naples, Florida

BCI Convention + Power Mart Expo May 1 – 4 Naples, FL. USA The most complete display of new technology, products and services awaits you in the Power Mart Expo! View product demonstrations, pose questions to exhibiting experts and learn about what is new in the lead battery industry. Contact Battery Council International E: info@batterycouncil.org www.convention.batterycouncil.org

SEPA Utility Conference May 2 – 4 Portland, OR. USA Utility Conference is the premier event for utility and solutions provider professionals responsible for clean energy programs, projects, and technologies. You’ll leave with actionable solutions for utility transformation, rather than wading through sales pitches and politics. Get the tools and expertise to accelerate the smart transition to a clean and modern grid. Contact Smart Electric Power Alliance www.sepapower.org/utility-conference/

Contact Evolve Media Group www.batterytechnologyusa.com

TCF Center, Detroit

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New Delhi, India hosts India Energy Storage Week — IESW at the beginning of May

Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 83

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Battery Experts Forum

RE+ Southeast

ees Europe

May 3 – 5 Frankfurt, Germany

May 11 – 12 Atlanta, GA. USA

May 11 – 13 Munich, Germany

Discover the hottest trends in battery and charging technology live and up close. Exchange with experts. And bring your knowledge up to date - at our BATTERY EXPERTS FORUM. Expect high class speakers and top topics. This event is an absolute must for those involved in battery technologies.

Join conversations with industry buyers, suppliers, distributors, consultants, and more to explore solutions, exchange ideas, and discover new technologies.

Discover future-ready solutions for renewable energy storage and advanced battery technology at ees Europe! Europe’s largest, most international and most visited exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems is the industry hotspot for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and users of stationary electrical energy storage solutions as well as battery systems. In 2022, more than 450 suppliers of products for energy storage technology and systems will be present at ees Europe and the parallel exhibitions of The smarter E Europe taking place in Munich. The exhibition will be accompanied by a two-day energy storage conference where leading experts delve into current questions of this industry.

Contact Battery Experts Forum E: info@battery-experts-forum.com www.battery-experts-forum.com

Energy Storage World Forum May 10 – 12 Berlin, Germany

Contact Smart Electric Power Alliance E: customerservice@sets.solar www.re-plus.events/southeast/

All Energy & Dcarbonise Summit May 11 – 12 Glasgow, UK

Exploring new and innovative regulatory frameworks have long been a topic of discussion in the energy storage world – it’s a programme topic in this year’s Energy Storage World Forum. But while regulations fail to keep pace with new advances in the sector, how much is this holding back the adoption of energy storage technologies?

All-Energy takes pride in being the UK’s largest low carbon energy and full supply chain renewables event for private and public sector energy end users. Each year, we connect suppliers of renewable and low carbon energy solutions and policy makers to developers, investors and buyers from around the world to discuss new technologies, and blow us in the right direction to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.

Contact Dufresne www.energystorageforum.com

Contact Reed Exhibitions www.all-energy.co.uk

Contact Solar Promotion GmbH www.ees-europe.com/home

Battery Tech Expo May 12 Silverstone, UK The Battery industry is on the cusp of a power revolution with big technology companies investing heavily in the next generation of battery development and energy storage. The event will provide a unique opportunity to showcase the latest products, technologies and services covering the Battery Management Systems, EV Battery, Battery Storage, Battery Development/ Discovery, Commercial and Mobile Power Device sectors. Contact 10fourmedia David Reeks www.batterytechexpo.co.uk

Germany: Berlin hosts Energy Storage World Forum on May 10-12…

Fenibat May 22 – 24 Paraná, Brazil The 5th FENIBAT will gather in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, from May 22 - 24, 2022, the Brazilian and Latin American battery and lead recycling industry and its suppliers. Its objective is to disseminate new products, services and technologies from all countries of the world to the South American market, as well as the exchange of information and knowledge.

… while Munich hosts ees Europe on May 11-13

84 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

Contact FENIBAT Jayme Gusmao E:gusmao@fenibat.com www.fenibat.com/en

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit May 23 - 25 Denver, Colorado. USA The ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit is an annual conference and technology showcase that brings together experts from different technical disciplines and professional communities to think about America’s energy challenges in new and innovative ways. Now in its twelfth year, the Summit offers a unique, three day programme aimed at moving transformational energy technologies out of the lab and into the market. Contact Event Power E: arpa-e-comms@hq.doe.gov www.arpae-summit.com

SNEC International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Conference — IESH May 24 – 26 Shanghai, China International Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Conference & Exhibition (IESH) covers the entire industry chain, focusing on PV-plus-storage, Mobile energy and Storage, Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell. Contact Follow me Int’l Exhibition (Shanghai), Inc E: info@snec.org.cn www.hfc.snec.org.cn/?locale=en-US

Advanced Automotive Battery Conference Europe — AABC Europe June 13 – 15 Mainz, Germany Make plans to participate at the European AABC event where chief battery technologists from major European automakers will present their development trends and projected battery needs, and their key suppliers will share their latest offerings and roadmaps for the future.

Battery India

SPARK

June 20 – 22 Bengalaru, India

June 21 – 22 London, UK

Battery India will bring together from all of the world leading battery manufacturers interested in technology and business cooperation, battery equipment and component manufacturers, experts in waste management and in environmentally sound technologies for the recycling of batteries.

SPARK will be the meeting place for innovators and leaders in the energy sector to shape the future of the energy transition. SPARK will bring together 350 senior speakers and thousands of attendees from across Europe. If you are a utility, DSO, TSO, power developer, end user, transport operator, or solution provider – this is the show for you.

Contact Battery and Recycling Foundation International E: info@bfi.org.in www.bfi.org.in

Contact Terrapinn www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/spark

SAVE THE DATE!

European Lead Battery Conference September 6 – 9 • Lyon, France ElBC is set to be the biggest lead battery innovation event yet in 2022, with a packed programme including new market insights, energy storage systems, automotive battery updates and the latest in research and technical innovations. Exhibit at the ELBC and join the largest global gathering of lead battery experts, with more than 1000 attendees expected from across the lead battery industry.

Contact Cambridge Enertech E: ce@cambridgeenertech.com www.advancedautobat.com/europe

Contact: International Lead Association • E: elbcexpo@ila-lead.org • www.elbcexpo.org

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS European Fuel Cell Forum July 5 – 8 Lucerne, Switzerland The 15th EUROPEAN SOFC & SOE FORUM addresses issues of science, engineering, materials, systems, applications and markets for all types of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC), Solid Oxide Electrolysers (SOE) and Solid Oxide Electrochemical Reactors. Additionally the more and more established issue of CO2 emission reduction and reuse is addressed as well. The Forum is the largest international meeting on Solid Oxide Technologies building the bridge from science to application. Business opportunities will be identified for manufacturers, industry, operators and investors. Contact EFCF www.efcf.com Brussels, Belgium hosts the International Flow Battery Forum in June

International Flow Battery Forum

Battery Cells & Systems Expo and Conference

June 27 – 29 Brussels, Belgium

June 29 – 30 Birmingham, UK

The International Flow Battery Forum (IFBF) promotes flow batteries as a crucial technology within the electrical energy storage sector. We believe this is timely and relevant; there is a real need to educate and inform a wide audience of the attributes, features and benefits of flow batteries. The International Flow Battery Forum is the major international conference covering all aspects of flow battery research, development, technology, manufacturing and commercialization.

Battery Cells & Systems Expo will bring together automotive manufacturers, electric utilities, battery system integrators, cell manufacturers and the entire manufacturing supply chain. A truly unique showcase, companies from around the world will use the show to launch products and demonstrate their technology to an audience of over 4,000 professionals.

Contact The International Flow Battery Forum E: info@flowbatteryforum www.flowbatteryforum.com

Contact Event Partners www.batterysystemsexpo.com

IARC 2022 is the international platform for discussing the latest developments and challenges in automotive recycling, bringing together more than 250 decision-makers in the ELV recycling chain such as car manufacturers, metal and plastic scrap traders, recyclers, shredder operators, policy-makers and many more. Contact ICM AG www.icm.ch/iarc-2022

PlugVolt Battery Seminar

Day 1 of 2022 event will feature multiple technical tutorials presented by industry subject matter experts and world renowned professors from Top 50 US universities, followed by Days 2 and 3 focusing exclusively on Automotive and Stationary/Grid storage applications respectively. Day 2 will also offer attendees an opportunity to tour INTERTEK battery test labs, and participate in an evening reception for industry networking.

June 28 – 30 Stuttgart, Germany Join the leading meeting place for the advanced battery and H/EV technology community. Meet manufacturers, suppliers, engineers, thought leaders and decision-makers for a conference and trade fair focused on the latest developments in the advanced battery and automotive industries.

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July 5 – 7 Basel, Switzerland

July 12 – 14 Plymouth, MI. USA

The Battery Show Europe

Contact Informa Markets E: thebatteryshowcs@informa.com www.thebatteryshow.eu/en/Home.html

International Automotive Recycling Congress — IARC

Birmingham, UK

Contact PlugVolt JC Soman E: juratesoman@plugvolt.com www.plugvolt.com/seminars/

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BCI Convention + Power Mart Expo May 1-4, 2022 • Naples Grande Beach Resort • Naples, FL Register now at www.BCIConvention.com.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Future Energy Asia July 20 – 22 Bangkok, Thailand The exhibition and summit will convene Energy Ministers, Policy Makers, Energy Majors including NOCs and IOCS, Power Generation authorities, midstream gas and LNG players, EPCs and Project Consultants and renewable energy developers. The conference will advance innovation and collaboration with the participation of key energy stakeholders, project developers, policy makers and Ministers. Participate in Future Energy Asia for direct access to top-level networking events and multi-billion dollar project investment. Contact DMG Events E: info@futureenergyasia.com

World Battery Industry Expo August 9 - 10 Guanghzhou, China Committed to promoting global market trade and battery industrial chain, WBE has developed into a professional exhibition with the largest number of exhibitors in battery enterprises and the highest participation of professional visitors and foreign buyers. Relying on its worldwide influence and thousands of overseas buyers, WBE provides exhibitors with high-quality buyers resources to help enterprises get more business opportunities. Contact Guangdong Grandeur International Exhibition Group E: grand@grahw.com www.battery-expo.com

Bangkok, Thailand hosts Future Energy Asia in July

The Solar Show Africa August 23 – 24 Johannesburg, Africa As Africa’s’ largest energy conference & exhibition, The Solar Show Africa brings together government ministries, utilities, power producers, municipalities, regulators, large energy users, project developers, investors and solution providers to allow new business opportunities and valuable connections to be made. For 23 years, delegates have flocked to the conference to gain first-hand knowledge on upcoming projects, investment opportunities and innovations across the continent that will help utilities deliver energy. Contact Terrapinn www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/solar-showafrica/index.stm

ees South America

gy sources attracting investors, utilities, installers, manufacturers and project developers from all over the world. Contact Solar Promotion www.intersolar.net.br/home

PCIM Asia August 31 – September 2 Shanghai, China PCIM Asia offers a chance to see the latest developments in power electronics components and systems. The strong link between conference and exhibition guarantees the high quality of the show. This unique combination fosters the fast and easy exchange between industry and science, for which PCIM Asia is famous. Contact Messe Frankfurt www.pcimasia-expo.cn.messefrankfurt.com/ shanghai/en.html

August 23 – 25 Sao Paulo, Brazil

Guanghzhou, China

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The special exhibition “ees South America” is the industry hotspot for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and users of stationary and mobile electrical energy storage solutions. Covering the entire value chain of innovative battery and energy storage technologies – from components and production to specific user application - it is the ideal platform for all stakeholders in the rapidly growing energy storage market. The focus at ees is on energy storage solutions suited to energy systems with increasing amounts of renewable ener-

Shanghai, China

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Batteries International • Winter 2021/22 • 91

UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER It was not a long life but it burned brightly. By the time the inventor of the nickel cadmium battery, Waldmar Jungner, died aged 55 he had provoked a complete rethink of many of the ways we look at battery chemistry.

Jungner and the unchangeable electrolyte

As a man, Waldmar Jungner was said to bemodest and unobtrusive. He avoided public appearances, parties and banquets and preferred to be surrounded only by his closest friends. His working habits were strange: he preferred to work at night, especially when his inventions were in critical phases. Despite this, with a fine baritone voice, he was also a member of the famous O.D. choir and travelled with them for concerts in various European towns.

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Uppsala, Sweden: 1880, and a young college student, Waldmar Jungner, thinks he may have created one of the first fire alarms. When a series of thermocouples was connected with every second soldered joint thermally insulated, a relay device and an alarm became activated when heated. A worthy invention for a country where the main source of heating was paraffin and fires were common and frequently fatal. But there was one snag. And that was the batteries to keep the signal working. The dry batteries were unsatisfactory as was the standard lead accumulator of the time. Surely, thought the young Jungner, it must be possible to devise a better, more reliable battery? So, after graduating from Uppsala University and completing further studies at the Stockholm College of Technology, Jungner started systematically to investigate the possibilities of constructing a storage battery with better properties than the lead acid system. Some time during the 1880s inspiration struck — though it was not till almost the new century that his researches bore practical fruit — in what he called “the unchangeable electrolyte”. He became convinced that an electrolyte which did not change its composition during charge and discharge would offer greater advantage than an electrolyte that took part in the electrochemical reactions (with a change of its concentration) as does the sulphuric acid in lead acid cells. Among other things, the amount of electrolyte could in this way be kept to a minimum — this was an advantage from the point of view of weight.

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UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER It was not till almost the new century that his researches bore practical fruit — in what he called “the unchangeable electrolyte” As early as 1893 he was aware that an alkaline electrolyte would make it possible to introduce inactive supporting materials with considerably better mechanical properties than the lead used up to that time. In his preliminary experiments Jungner mixed different metal oxides with graphite, added dilute potassium hydroxide, and pressed the mass in cloth bags. The cloth bags shrank in the alkali and exerted a certain pressure on the active material. As conductors, Jungner used rods of copper or graphite Subsequently the bags were replaced by narrow folded pockets of thin perforated copper sheet, and in a modification of this design the mass was pressed between two perforated metal sheets of wire mesh, which were sewn together. He patented this, aged just 28, in 1897. While investigating the metals or metal compounds that might be used in the alkaline accumulator-to-be, Jungner made extensive experiments. He tested every conceivable combination and established, as the experiments wore on, an increasing rise in electromotive power. First commercial ventures As a sideline to this, Jungner devised a modification of the Lalande-Chaperon cell in which the positive plate was made of copper oxide in the usual manner and the negative plate of zinc. Jungner used a gelatinized electrolyte, and he intended that the zinc electrode, after discharge, should be replaced by a new one in a simple way. To turn this idea to profitable account the Aktiebolaget Torrackumulator (Dry Accumulator Company) was formed. A battery of this construction, propelling a boat, was shown at the Stockholm Exhibition in 1897. However, owing to difficulties with the zinc

The label says it all ...

Part of Jungner’s research team in the early 1900s

electrode, the activity of the company was soon discontinued. An important element still needed by Jungner was the inactive metal support for the positive electrode. Jungner had already noticed that none of the metals tested was resistant to anodic oxidation in an alkaline electrolyte. This detail nearly put a definite stop to the progress of his work on the alkaline storage battery. Jungner decided, however, to make a comprehensive investigation including every available material, and during the winter of 1897-1898 he

started tests involving the influence of anodic oxidation of metals in alkaline solution. He found that three months of anodic polarization caused a more or less severe attack on platinum as well as silver, bismuth, cadmium, and iron. Nickel alone retrained its smooth surface and its weight. Jungner extended his experiments also to nickel-plated metals and found that even a very thin layer of nickel was sufficient to protect every metal with a smooth surface from electrolytic attack. In nickel, Jungner thus found his supporting metal. It was the spring-

He became convinced that an electrolyte which did not change its composition during charge and discharge would offer greater advantage than an electrolyte that took part in the electrochemical reactions 94 • Batteries International • Winter 2021/22

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UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER board to what we now know as the nickel cadmium battery. During his search for the ideal alkaline storage battery, Jungner also made experiments with couples of silver oxide-iron and silver oxidecopper. A silver oxide-copper prototype was tested in the summer of 1899 with Svante Arrhenius, an academic, which produced energy of not less than 40 Wh/kg from this system; the potential, however, was low, only 0.6V-0.8V. Even before these experiments, Jungner had worked with cadmium as an active material in negative electrodes, but that work had not been encouraging. In these preliminary experiments he had used a mixture of cadmium and graphite but such electrodes were inefficient. After unremitting experimental work, he succeeded, however, in producing a porous cadmium metal with acceptable mechanical and electrical properties by a chemical electrolytic method. Success! This material, in combination with silver oxide, gave a cell with an energy content of about 40Wh/kg and a voltage of about 1.1V. The silver systems were thus capable of storing large amounts of energy per unit of weight. Electric vehicles, 1900 style Jungner built batteries of the silver-cadmium type to supply the motive power for motor cars, and these batteries were tested in Stockholm in 1900 with satisfactory results. After each charge it was possible to drive 140km-150km. But there was one drawback — a familiar one to those pioneering lithium ion batteries for EVs nowadays. Yes, the price. Silver was too expensive and cadmium too rare. In 1899 Jungner, presented his fundamental ideas concerning alkaline accumulators in a patent of March 11. Later that year he also patented a method for producing silver electrodes and a way to make the previously mentioned porous cadmium electrodes for use in alkaline cells. (In January 1907 Jungner took out a Swedish patent in which the reactions of the systems nickel-iron and nickel-cadmium were given.) The next step was commercialization. In the spring of 1900 the Ackumulator Aktiebolaget Jungner was formed to exploit Jungner’s storage battery ideas. This company manufactured and tested silver-copper and silver-cadmium batteries and the first nickel-iron

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batteries. At his side Jungner had the innovative engineer KL Berg, formerly of the Swedish General Electric Co, who worked on the mechanical design of the cells and converted them into hardware. This was a daunting prospect — they had very little money, oxyacetylene welding had not been invented, there was no reliable separator, nor was there reliable steel plating. Because of the inability to nickel-plate on to steel ribbon, a pure nickel ribbon had to be used to enclose the positive material. Their first attempts to perforate this ribbon were made on Mrs Berg’s sewing machine in the family kitchen! But as if the technical challenges were not enough, the newly founded company was soon involved in a lengthy patent suit against Thomas A Edison, who was also actively working in this field. It is difficult to reconstruct the actual timetables of work leading to the alkaline battery inventions of Jungner and Edison, but briefly, Jungner had a Swedish patent valid from January 22, 1901 while Edison had a German patent valid from February 6, 1901. Undoubtedly there was a period of independent overlapping research. Jungner Accumulator and Edison competed on the world market and also engaged in patent suits for the next few years. The patent suits took a great deal of Jungner’s time and money. When his laboratory and factory at Kneippbaden outside Norrköping were destroyed by fire in the fall of

Jungner and Edison fought a long legal battle over the patent rights for the first alkaline batteries

Jungner’s batteries gave electric vehicles a 150km range in 1900. The problem for their adoption — a familiar story more than a century later — was their price.

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UNSUNG HEROES: WALDMAR JUNGNER

Some of the workforce at the Svenksa Ackumulator AB Jungner factory

The Svenksa Ackumulator AB Jungner factory was founded in 1910

1905 — an ironic twist given where his researches had started from — the financial difficulties were too great for him; the company had to transfer its resources and debts to a new company, Nya Ackumulator AB Jungner, with new shareholders. At this point Jungner left the direct management of the company, but continued his association as a consultant on a retainer. Axel Estelle became managing director and chief chemist, with Berg continuing to look after production. The company was at first entirely directed towards the manufacture of nickel-iron batteries sold primarily for traction use. Flat, vertically mounted pockets of nickel-plated iron sheet were used for both the positive and the negative plates and, as separation between the electrodes, perforated hard rubber sheets were used. Estelle, who had been working with Jungner earlier, patented in 1909 a method for electrolytic co-precipitation of iron and cadmium sponge from

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a sulphate solution. Jungner’s name has been associated with the nickelcadmium cells although the Jungner cells from the very beginning bore the trademark NIFE — based on the chemical symbols for nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). In spite of the technical progress Nya Ackumulator AB Jungner soon found itself in financial difficulties. In 1910 the company was put into compulsory liquidation. Profits at last That year the Svenska Ackumulator AB Jungner was formed and under the management of Robert Ameln and Jungner’s ideas were made profitable by the introduction of several modifications of methods and constructions. Cells manufactured after 1910 had flat, horizontally placed perforated pockets for both the positive and negative electrodes. In 1918, Svenska Ackumulator AB Jungner started a subsidiary in the UK under the name Batteries Ltd using the brand name NIFE, and operating at

Hunt End, Redditch on a site that had been previously occupied by the Royal Enfield Cycle Company. After he had left the management of the storage battery company, Jungner devoted himself to other inventions. The great problem of converting fuel energy directly into electric energy was of special interest to him. As early as 1907 he took out patents on fuel cells of different types in which, among other substances, carbon, hydrogen and sulphur dioxide were mentioned as fuels. In 1917 he patented a cell, for which he had great hopes, especially for solving the problem of lighting in the countryside.The positive electrode consisted of a porous body of carbon containing a small amount of copper oxide; the electrolyte was alkaline, and the negative consisted of zinc. The cell attracted considerable attention at that time; however, the production and distribution of electrical energy went on along quite different lines. Among Jungner’s other work was his method for simultaneous production of alkali and cement, presented in 1912, is notable. An amusing coincidence is that during a period of their lives both Jungner and Edison, the great names in the alkaline accumulator field, were occupied with the production of cement. Jungner’s last research work, involving the extraction of radium from Swedish rocks, was interrupted by illness and was never concluded. Not until near the end of his life did Jungner’s merits obtain public recognition. He was elected a member of the Swedish Academy of Science of Engineering in 1922 and in 1924 he was presented with the Oscar Carlson Award by the Swedish Chemical Society. He died on August 30, 1924 at the age of 55. It was said of Jungner that, like so many geniuses, he often lost interest when the practical development stage was reached. In the years that followed, the materials for such a chemical-couple battery were expensive compared to other battery types available and its use was limited to special applications. In 1932, the active materials were deposited inside a porous nickel-plated electrode and in 1947 research began on a sealed nickel-cadmium battery. These days, Ni-Cd battery production at Oskarshamn is in the control of the French company SAFT which has retained the name NIFE as an important brand name.