What makes the future bright or challenging is the advancements and directions of technology, and today nowhere is this more important than battery technology. In my last column I said that batteries are the missing link to alternative and independent energy.
As promised, this month’s column will discuss SSB technology (solid-state batteries) and how it fits into the battery industry.
In technical terms, solid state meant “transistorized.” The term arose in the 1950s when transistors replaced the relatively sensitive vacuum tubes. However, when used in the context of batteries, it has a completely different meaning. In today's battery technology, the term “solid state” has nothing to do with transistors at all. Solid state in this context means that the battery does not contain any liquid components. Instead, the battery uses a “solid” electrolyte.
A brief history of the Baghdad Battery and the first dry cell batteries
According to the Smith College Museum of Ancient Inventions, the Baghdad Battery is approximately 2,000 years old (Parthian period, approximately 250 BC to 250 AD). The jar was found in Khojjut Rab, outside Baghdad. It is a clay jar with an asphalt stopper. Protruding from the asphalt is an iron rod surrounded by a copper cylinder. When filled with vinegar (or other electrolyte), the jar produces a voltage of approximately 1.1 volts. Scientists believe the jar was used to electroplate gold onto silver, a technology that is still used in Iraq. The first batteries were liquid.
But about 1,800 years later, Alexandra Volta is credited with creating the first battery. Called the voltaic pile, it consisted of alternating layers of zinc and copper sandwiched between sheets of paper soaked in salt water. It could also be considered the first dry cell. We say “almost” because the paper (then called cardboard) would eventually dry out and short out.
Over time, other inventors realized that dry cell batteries were safer and more practical. In 1886, German inventor Karl Gassner invented the first practical dry cell battery. Interestingly, that first battery never made it outside the laboratory; outside the laboratory, batteries were only used for telegraphy and, later, telephone communication.
During World War II, many improvements were made and carbon anodes became mainstream. Like any other technology, batteries improved based on market demand. Interestingly, mobile phones and then computers drove the market and technology, requiring better and lighter batteries. This prompted the development of the lithium battery.
The first battery powered tools I used were expensive and used Ni-Cad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries. Then came Lithium batteries. These first became commonly used in home cell phones, cameras and smoke detectors. These batteries were not rechargeable but had a long life and high density for their time. Then came the lighter, rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries. These met the market requirements for portable computers and smartphones along with built-in safety features such as BMS or Battery Management Systems.
Now, fast forward to solid-state batteries. At the time, Motor Trend's Sandy Munro, who tore down the first Tesla battery, said SSB would be “the end of the gasoline car.” The main difference between SSB and Li-ion is the metallic lithium anode and sulfide cathode. This arrangement allows free flow of electrons across the electrolyte, lowering internal resistance, increasing energy density, shortening charging time, and reducing heat generation during charging and operation. In January of this year, WV reported that it had finished testing its SSB batteries and that they had passed all tests. Toyota, Hyundai, BMW, and Mercedes have all adopted SSB technology.
What about Tesla?
Tesla has worked around the issue with improved lithium-ion batteries. According to Motor Trend, “Munro & Associates analyzed all the lithium-ion battery packs on the market today and declared the 4680 to be the best of the current crop. Based on a patent Tesla purchased from Canadian startup Springpower (for $3!), its chemistry remains NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) with a graphite anode, but a new dry electrode manufacturing process shrinks the manufacturing footprint by a third.” Compared to the 2170 cells it replaces, it delivers six times the power, stores five times the energy, and provides 16% more range.
Currently, solid-state batteries have limited commercial use — I know of only one company in Canada that has solid-state batteries in buses — but the operating temperature is 176 degrees, which makes even me nervous.
question
Do SSBs have an improved environmental impact? The answer is yes, as SSBs are likely to be much more recyclable and easier to return to service.
Are they more expensive? Yes, currently SSBs are more expensive to produce than traditional lithium-ion batteries due to the manufacturing complexities that automakers currently face. As with all new developments, these factors will undoubtedly improve over time.
Conclusion
Tesla still appears to be ahead in the race — its new batteries remain superior to the competition — but major automakers are holding back on their bets on SSBs.
Toyota, VW, BMW and start-ups like QuantumScape and Solid Power are convinced that they can solve the problem for manufacturers. In my opinion, this is the right path to go because it improves safety and environmental factors. I like the idea of the possibility of ease of repair and recycling. It also significantly reduces the use of cobalt, which has many impacts not only on the environment but also socio-political.
Jim Bobreski of Penn Yan has worked as a process control engineer in the power generation sector for 43 years and is the author of “Alternative Energy and Climate Change in the Trump Era,” available at Long's Bookstore in Penn Yan and on Amazon.com.
