US battery developer 24M Technologies has announced a new electrolyte for lithium metal batteries. The company claims that the Eternalyte product can improve battery life and charging speed. Together with the company’s ETOP (Electrode-to-Pack) and Impervio (Battery Separator) technologies, Eternalyte is claimed to enable cost-effective battery packs for electric vehicles with a range of more than 1,600 kilometers per charge.
Liquid electrolyte prevents metal dendrites
Traditionally, solid-electrolyte technology has been considered a promising way to commercialize lithium metal batteries, which would come along with significantly higher energy densities. However, its commercial viability has been limited by safety concerns and a short as well as inconsistent cycle life due to the formation of metal dendrites. Eternalyte on the other hand is a liquid electrolyte. In combination with Impervio, it is designed to prevent metal dendrite formation, eliminating safety concerns and increasing cell life.
Cells survive 500 charging cycles
Eternalyte claims to have achieved 83% capacity retention over more than 500 cycles in initial testing of a lithium metal cell discharged and charged at 1C. This would enable a total range of over 800,000 kilometers in an electric vehicle and 1,600 kilometers per charge. Meanwhile, 24M has not specified the pack size assumed for the range estimate in this scenario.
