Rapid charging of cordless appliances using graphene-based supercapacitors

Project Information

ZapGoCharger

Grant agreement ID: 766670

DOI

10.3030/766670

Project closed

EC signature date 18 May 2017

Start date 1 February 2017

End date 30 September 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Nanotechnologies

Total cost

€ 2 043 631,25

EU contribution

€ 1 430 541,00

Coordinated by

ZAPGO LTD
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ZapGoCharger (Rapid charging of cordless appliances using graphene-based supercapacitors)

Reporting period: 2019-02-01 to 2019-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

There is an ongoing and rapid migration from corded to cordless equipment across a diverse range of consumer and industrial products. The incumbent battery technology used in these devices is Lithium-ion (Li-ion) which, whilst it provides sustained energy, has limited lifetime and carries significant safety and environmental risks throughout the product lifecycle, particularly when use for high power applications.

ZapGo is developing a radical solution for these cordless products - a new type of energy storage technology, using safe and recyclable materials to sustain hundreds of thousands of fast charge/discharge cycles. This technology, called Carbon-Ion™ (C-Ion®), incorporates high surface-are nano-carbons and bespoke ionic electrolytes in a pouch cell format that can then be built into power pack modules for use with a wide range of electronic equipment.

The overall objective of this project was to develop tested, commercially viable supercapacitors for charging cordless power tools and cordless household appliances. Initially, the C-Ion cells were optimised for the requirements of this target market and then fully interchangeable C-Ion power packs for existing cordless products were developed. These demonstrator products were used in trials to evaluate their performance and gather market feedback. In preparation for the commercial roll out, ZapGo established the partnerships necessary throughout the supply chain and put in place the necessary sales and marketing infrastructure, including pre-contract agreements with key customers.

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

The four main strands of this H2020 project were; C-Ion technology development, Product application evaluation, Cell manufacture scale-up and Commercial preparation. These activities continued in parallel throughout the project, maximising the benefits from information flow between each strand to reach the point of market entry as rapidly as possible.

The C-Ion technology was optimised for the use cases under development within this project: cordless power tool and robot vacuum cleaners. Increased energy density was the prime target, where the focus was to gain improvement through use of new active materials. Alongside this cell level voltage was increased and here the emphasis was to identify electrolytes with a greater window of voltage stability. The materials selected were also required to be safe in the chosen application, particularly when compared to alternative technologies.

Demo units with C-Ion powerpacks were designed and built by ZapGo for use in trials. These were evaluated by customers, end users and industry specialists and the resulting data and feedback incorporated into the ongoing cell and product development process. The C-Ion fast-charging capability with long cycle life were identified as performance characteristics which would be strong sales enablers for premium products.

Technology transfer from lab-scale to production manufacturing capability was completed during this project. Strategic partnerships were put in place throughout the supply chain, from raw materials supply to pack manufacture, and several manufacturing cycles were undertaken to develop the scaled-up process. The standards and regulations for both the manufacturing processes and cell products were addressed at every stage to ensure compliance for the relevant industries.

Pricing, positioning and branding strategy was developed for the target industry sectors and the route to market identified. To support this and increase industry awareness of the technology capability and the product enhancements that will be available as a direct result of this project, the demonstrators and progress was presented at a range of events, shared our progress through social media and produced technical documentation targeted at both engineers and commercial decision makers.

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)

The improvements in cell energy density that we have achieved through this project has taken the technology beyond the current state of the art commercially available for super capacitors, and the power density achieve is beyond the current state of the art for commercially available Li-ion batteries.

ZapGo C-Ion cells can therefore be effectively utilised for energy storage and delivery in a wider range of industries than was previously possible. The power tool and cleaning markets have niche sectors within them, which can quickly exploit the benefits of the fast-charging, high cycle life offered by C-Ion. A prime example is industrial assembly line applications, where the power tools are used in repetitive tasks with fast takt times. In this scenario the tools experience short bursts of activity, with periods of idle time in between each cycle – a C-Ion pack can deliver the energy required for each assembly activity and then recharge again in the ‘down-time’ in each takt period. The extended tool life, significantly reduced maintenance costs and improved health benefits from a lighter tool show the range of positive impacts that will be enjoyed by businesses employing this technology.

There are advantages for all stakeholders when C-Ion is used to replace traditional li-ion batteries:
- For business users the lifetime costs for this technology will be far lower due to its minimal transportation restrictions, modest maintenance requirements and long cycle life. The safety of the non-flammable, non-toxic cells will protect direct users of this technology.
- Society will benefit from the low environmental impact due to the materials used and their recyclability. Additionally, there will be re-lifing opportunities as the C-Ion power packs will outlast many of the products which they were originally sold with.
- For equipment manufacturers, integrating this technology into their products, will offer commercial advantages, e.g. new designs, and therefore new markets, that are only possible with this technology, changing user behaviour to reflect new fast-charging capabilities and, with the long life, enabling new business models that reflect the growing trend towards lifetime ‘pay-per-use’ platforms.

Bench testing in our Labs

C-Ion cells

C-Ion robot vacuum cleaner on test

casing for tial units 2

casing for tial units

Cells from our two manufacturers

C-Ion power tool on tests