An overview of the 10-year automotive market forecasts from Avicenne and other analysts (micro/Hybrid/P-HEV/EV). Other coverage will include car makers’ strategies and advanced energy storage (advanced lead acid/supercap/NiMH/LIB). Additionally, LIB design for P-HEV & EV markets (cylindrical, prismatic, pouch/wounded, stacked, Z fold cells) and LIB cell, module, and pack cost structure will be discussed.

Lithium-ion technology is set to be the workhorse of e-mobility for the next decade and thus demands further R&D to improve the usual performance indicators such as energy density, safety, and lifetime. In addition, more sustainable materials and those that allow for faster charging are of high interest to the automotive industry. Selected observations originating from advanced electrode-active materials are discussed in this presentation.

Battery chemicals have been hailed as a sector with immense growth potential, driven by the increasing demand for batteries in various applications. However, the landscape of the industry has experienced a significant shift especially in Europe. This downturn has prompted a reevaluation of previous growth projections, leading to corrections in forecasts and necessitating a recalibration of strategies for industry stakeholders.

E-Lyte aims to provide a sustainable and resilient supply chain for the perfect electrolyte solution for each energy storage system. The automotive industry currently has the greatest need for safe and powerful energy storage systems. The presentation will answer the question of why it is so difficult to find the perfect electrolyte for commercial battery technologies used in electric vehicles and how E-Lyte overcomes this challenge.

SES AI specializes in rechargeable Li-Metal batteries (LMBs) with advanced electrolyte systems. These batteries offer excellent cycle-life, rate capability, energy density, and safety. SES has commercialized 100 Ah large format LMBs for EV and eVTOL applications. The company is now leveraging AI/ML for data mining in materials discovery, electrochemistry design, battery integration, recycling, and database management.

This talk will explore BASF's cathode material research, with focus on material advancements of various CAM types and their current CAM and recycling activities.

Replacing carbon-based materials with silicon in negative electrodes for lithium-ion-batteries promises a boost of capacity and is therefore a major R&D topic. Nevertheless, widespread commercial automotive applications with silicon-based anodes are still only at the horizon, but not a commercial fact. Issues regarding volume variations, particle disintegration and electrolyte consumption are hurdles still to overcome. the presentation will summarize latest efforts and prospects with regards to commercialization of silicon-based anodes.

The intersection of Wildcat Discovery Technologies’ materials experience with the U.S. goal of a domestic supply chain provides a unique opportunity. We will describe Wildcat’s plan and progress to manufacture advanced cathode materials. Our product pipeline consists of materials that 1) provide a range of energy densities; 2) are free of cobalt and nickel; 3) show promising material safety performance; and 4) have synergies in manufacturing unit operations.

While sulfide solid electrolytes provide outstanding properties, including high ionic conductivity exceeding 3 mS/cm, there is still a need for innovations in processing and design of electrodes and cells for the development of stable high-energy all-solid-state batteries. 100% silicon anodes were applied as stable high-energy anode concept in single- and multi-layer pouch cells with dry-processed NMC composite cathodes and solid electrolyte membranes. The cycling performance was studied in dependence of temperature and external pressure revealing high rate capability and cycle life.

Next generation lithium-ion batteries will comprise high-nickel NMC cathodes paired with silicon anodes to meet demand for increased energy density which in turn will require innovation in electrolyte design to address safety, cycle life, and power. New electrode materials requires careful control of the electrode-electrolyte interface, chiefly through the use of sacrificial additives in the electrolyte. Novel electrolyte additives for high-energy cathodes and silicon anodes are presented to address the challenges therein by stabilizing the CEI and SEI in this system.

Lyten is commercializing lithium-sulfur batteries enhanced with its proprietary 3D Graphene to enable next generation energy-storage with higher energy density, shorter charging times and longer cycle life. Lyten started operating a 3 MWh Li-S battery pilot line in California to support a variety of customers, and to further develop manufacturing capabilities for GWh-scale materials and cell production. A projected 50% lower cost bill of materials compared to conventional LIBs will enable significantly lower-cost automotive batteries.

After 15 years of R&D, Umicore introduces its silicon carbon composite (Si/C) anode portfolio. Today, and after extensive testing at large-scale, our customers confirm that Umicore Si/C technology is the right answer to meet their key requirements for next-generation EV batteries: performance, cost, scalability, ESG, and IP. We will detail our go-to-market strategy and industrial plan to be the first European Si-anode player at-scale.

The challenges related to the huge volume change of silicon during lithiation still hamper its use as main anode material in lithium-ion batteries. Material concepts, addressing both mitigation on the electrode as well as on the materials level, are under investigation. In addition to cycle stability and other application properties, the focus of these developments is on processability and economic attractiveness.

Silicon materials are evolving as the most promising anode technology for next-gen battery cell designs, offering improved performance parameters such as enhanced energy densities and fast charging. However, the characterization of Silicon extends beyond its generic classification as it encompasses various material classes and morphologies, each influencing battery development with distinct levels of technological maturity. This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of these Silicon anode material types, examining their technological maturity, current industrialization status, and competitive positioning. Furthermore, it will also compare the different product technologies, highlighting the unique strengths and contributions of each silicon variant in today's and future competitive markets, offering valuable insights into silicon's pivotal role in driving technological innovation.

Binders and structural additives constitute the smallest fraction of anode compositions, yet they are critically important to achieve long cycle life. This is particularly relevant for silicon containing anodes where SiOx, Si/C or Si materials are used to increase anode storage capacity. While binder chemistries have been evolving over the past years, structural additives such as AnteoTech’s binder additive, Anteo X, or carbon additives present new strategies that aim to minimize inactive materials, yet propelling silicon anodes forward by 100s of cycles.

Na-ion batteries (SIB) are rapidly developing as potential alternatives to complement Li-ion battery (LIB) technology. The energy densities of SIB are close to LIB, but at the same time they avoid or reduce the amounts of many critical elements used for LIB. Due to their conceptual similarity, SIB can be produced on the same manufacturing lines like LIB, which is a great advantage for market implementation. This talk gives an overview on Na-ion battery development, with the focus on materials (anode, cathode) and electrolytes.