Advanced Lithium Sulphur battery for xEV

Project Information

ALISE

Grant agreement ID: 666157

DOI

10.3030/666157

Project closed

EC signature date 28 May 2015

Start date 1 June 2015

End date 31 May 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced materials

Total cost

€ 6 852 301,47

EU contribution

€ 6 852 301,47

Coordinated by

ACONDICIONAMIENTO TARRASENSE ASSOCIACION
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ALISE (Advanced Lithium Sulphur battery for xEV)

Reporting period: 2017-12-01 to 2019-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Batteries are still the limiting factor for mass scale adoption of EV and there is a need for new batteries that enable higher driving range, higher safety and faster charging at lower cost. Li-S is a promising alternative to Li-ion free of critical raw material and non-limited in capacity and energy by material of intercalation. Today, Li-S is lighter than Li-ion and has reached only 17% of the sulfur theoretical energy density (2600Wh/kg) at cell prototype level (440Wh/kg), with potentially 800Wh/L achievable by improving materials, components and manufacturing. ALISE is dedicated to the development of new materials and on the understanding of the electro-chemical processes involved in the lithium sulfur technology (TRL4). The project is focused to achieve 500 Wh/Kg stable Li-S cell. The project involves dedicated durability, testing and LCA activities that will ensure the safety and adequate cyclability of the battery being developed and availability at competitive cost. ALISE is given real breakthrough regarding new components, cell integration and associated architecture. Li-S technology has been assessed at module level and simulate at pack level for PHEV and BEV hybridization. The results show 15% weight reduction at battery pack level for the same volume respect Li-ion with improvement of the electrical driving range about 2% to 10% respectively for BEV and PHEV.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

1. 9 publications and 5 patents have been submitted or currently under preparation, and mostly related to new developments on material and processes, applicable for Li-S either Li-ion or Si/C-ion.
2. ALISE has gathered an audience of >50.000 persons within ALISE partners participating to >50 events across Europe, America, and Asia, including massive worldwide dissemination through specialist or generalist press and electronic media, supported by a database of >15.000 stakeholders.
3. New sensors for Li-S SoC and aging developed by CEIT
4. New BMS including balancing for Lithium sulfur has been built by FICOSA from Cranfield SoC algorithmic
5. Li-S Modules have been electrically assessed following NEDZ and WLTP driving cycle test by Williams Advanced Engineering for both PHEV and BEV hybridization.
6. Li-S Modules passed the UN38.3 mechanical test.
7. Li-S behavior has been simulated by SEAT from real cell data given by OXIS and Cranfield at Car level
8. Dummy Battery pack is built by FICOSA containing all interfaces (electrical, thermal, mechanical) ready to host Li-S cells
9. 3 cells generation and 2 modules generation built respectively by OXIS Energy Ltd and Williams Advanced Engineering (Module level: 2.1 kWh, 173 Wh kg-1, 24.45 Ah, 82V)
10. New state of the art for High Power together with High Energy generation Lithium sulfur cell: 21 Ah, 325 Wh kg-1 and 340 Wh L-1 with 80% C/5 BoL at 1C.
11. Li-S is lighter than Lithium ion, 2.5 lighter from our Li-ion reference in 2014, free of critical materials (i.e. no natural graphite, no cobalt), water-based electrode manufacturing, using oil industry by product as active material, and still far away from its theoretical limits.
12. Final LCA completed by C-Tech shows that Li S has less environmental impact than NMC Li-ion.
13. Final LCC is complete by C-Tech and shows that Production costs are lower than current NMC 111 Li-ion, and potentially lower than emerging lower Co NMC grades.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

• 2 kinds of Li-ion available on the markets, High Power (< 150 Wh/kg) or High Energy (< 300 Wh/kg) such as LTO or graphite based respectively able to charge in 6 or 40 minutes.
• High energy Lithium Sulfur cell achievements is 440 and 360 Wh kg-1 respectively at C/10 and at C/5, OXIS Energy Ltd by 2019
• ALISE cell demonstrators have always been lighter respect commercial stat-of-the-art and reached finally 21 Ah 325 Wh kg-1, 340 Wh L-1 at C/5, 80% of the C/5 BoL at 1C, 80% BoL and 80% DoD for 95 cycles. ALISE provides Li-S high energy density with enhanced power rate.
• Li-S behaves similar respect Li ion with slight increase in electrical range +2% and +10% respectively for BEV and PHEV, -15% decrease in weight, within the same volume and optimistic scenarios, i.e. evaluated in optimal and limited temperature and current rate.
• ALISE Li S cells’ prototype are still non-optimized for direct battery integration in real condition with:
• Cell manufacturing need to be fully automatized to reach higher reproducibility/homogeneity, limitation impacting on cell balancing at module level.
• Effective lithium metal anode protection must be produced at relevant level of manufacturing
• Cyclability to be improved from 100 to at least to 1.000 cycles for 80% BoL at 80% DoD
• Operating temperature to be improved from 40ºC to at least to 70ºC
• Charging rate must be improved from 1C to 3C maintaining the battery pack nominal capacity at 80% of its initial value
• Volumetric energy as to be improved from 340 to > 500 Wh L-1 as key factor for technology integration and maintaining is low weight (i.e. > 325 Wh kg-1)

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