Skip to main content

Breakthrough battery could revolutionise cost, range and safety of electric vehicles

Envia Systems, based in California, has announced test results that verify the company’s next-generation rechargeable battery has achieved the highest recorded energy density of 400 Watt-hours/kilogram (Wh/kg) for a rechargeable lithium-ion cell. When commercialised, this 400 Wh/kg battery is expected to slash the price of a 500km range electric vehicle by cutting the cost of the battery pack by more than 50 per cent. The testing of Envia’s next-generation lithium-ion battery was performed by the Electroche
March 23, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
4252 Envia Systems, based in California, has announced test results that verify the company’s next-generation rechargeable battery has achieved the highest recorded energy density of 400 Watt-hours/kilogram (Wh/kg) for a rechargeable lithium-ion cell. When commercialised, this 400 Wh/kg battery is expected to slash the price of a 500km range electric vehicle by cutting the cost of the battery pack by more than 50 per cent.

The testing of Envia’s next-generation lithium-ion battery was performed by the Electrochemical Power Systems Department at the 4253 Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Crane, Indiana, under the sponsorship of ARPA-E. Tests at various cycling rates at NSWC confirmed that Envia’s automotive battery cell demonstrated energy density between 378-418 Wh/kg for rates between C/3 to C/10 for a 45 Amp-hour (C/3) cell. Similar cells have been cycling in Envia’s test labs for over 300 cycles. NSWC Crane will also test these cells to validate cycling performance.

“Since the inception of Envia, our product team has worked tirelessly and logged over 25 million test channel hours to optimally develop each of the active components of the battery: Envia's proprietary Si-C anode, HCMR cathode and EHV electrolyte," said Dr. Sujeet Kumar, Envia Systems co-founder, president & CTO.  “Rather than just a proof-of-concept of energy density, I am pleased that our team was successful in actually delivering 400 Wh/kg automotive grade 45 Ah lithium-ion rechargeable cells.”

“Envia’s new battery technology represents exactly the kind of innovation and breakthroughs that ARPA-E is looking for from the American research and development community,” said ARPA-E director Arun Majumdar.  “We hope that this low-cost and high-density battery technology enables widespread adoption of electric vehicles across the country and around the world.”

Envia was awarded grants by both the 4258 Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and the 4259 California Energy Commission in 2010 to develop high energy density batteries for electric vehicles. 4248 General Motors Ventures participated in an equity investment round of US$17 million in 2011.

Related Content

  • Aptiv and Hyundai to develop AV tech
    September 27, 2019
    Dublin-based Aptiv has partnered with South Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor to develop SAE Level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. Aptiv says the joint venture will begin testing fully autonomous systems in 2020 and have an autonomous driving platform available for robo-taxi providers, fleet operators and automotive manufacturers in 2022. As part of the deal, Aptiv is dedicating around 700 employees to develop AV solutions. Hyundai and its affiliates Kia Motors and Hyundai M
  • AVs need extreme training, says research
    May 24, 2022
    AVs will be safer if they are given 'one-in-a-million' collision risk scenarios to learn from
  • A future vision for transport in Wales
    November 13, 2014
    A new report by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Cymru Wales, Vision 2035: Cymru Wales, looks to the future and visualises how transport and logistics in Wales would develop, taking account of population changes, technological developments and social and political change. By 2035, Wales will be making decisions on all aspects of transport, including air passenger duty, rail franchising and road policy. There will also be greater government involvement in public transport operatio
  • Eight ways Volkswagen can regain their customers’ trust
    October 6, 2015
    In the light of Volkswagen's concession of corporate wrongdoing in circumventing EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) testing in the US, Frost & Sullivan has proposed eight strategies the company can utilise to regain consumer trust, fuel sales volumes and develop sustainable revenue growth opportunities. Frost & Sullivan says developments in clean diesel technology and internal combustion engines (ICE) have been substantially pushed back by years. The immediate impact of this crisis goes beyond Volkswa