After Gutenberg

According to an AFP report, a firm in eastern Saxony has designed a lithium-ion battery membrane that could finally make electric cars common.

With plug-in capability for the Audi A1 prototype, “through the road” hybrid, Volkswagen definitely is showing signs of some progress.

As recently noted, several companies believe they can produce lighter and more powerful batteries. Also recently in the news has been an announcement by ExxonMobil Chemical that an affiliate, Tonen Chemical Corporation, has begun production of a similar product.

Tim Schaefer, a director of the company in eastern Kamenz believes “The foundations have now been laid” for the building of electric cars that also deliver on performance. Li-Tec has joined a consortium led by German tool and auto parts company Bosch, chemical giant BASF and German car maker Volkswagen.

Housed in a stylish rectangular silver pouch, the “Separion” consists of two lithium electrodes in an electrolyte, or liquid conductor.

What differentiates it from similar batteries is that the electrodes are separated by a flexible ceramic membrane that provides greater thermal stability, according to the German group.

A drawback of lithium-ion batteries is a risk of explosion if they overheat.

According to Felix von Borck, director of the Akasol research center in western Darmstadt, the Separion goes a long way towards resolving that problem.

“It’s a true technological break,” Borck said. “It is a crucial boost for the success of lithium-ion batteries.”

(Photo: Li-Tec Battery)
Dr. Andreas Gutsch, Managing Director of the German manufacturer Li-Tec Battery holding an example of their newest generation lithium ion cell.

Furthermore, an October press release from Evonik Industries* noted the acquisition of shares amounting to a 20-percent stake in Li-Tec Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG in Kamenz near Dresden, Germany.

The Evonik press release also stated that mass production of battery components would begin. Such production could coincide with production targets announced by Ener1. Li-Tec would seem to be ahead of a joint venture between FiFe and Enerize. While those two UK and US companies hope to offer another, safe, low-cost, high-energy Li-ion rechargeable batteries for traction purposes, their production capability is at an earlier stage.

*Note: As Degussa, Evonik is a member of the aforementioned consortium.

Dr. Alfred Oberholz, Member of the Management Board of Evonik:

This acquisition expresses our ongoing commitment to lithium-ion technology. Evonik took an early position in this highly promising growth market, and has a wealth of expertise in battery components for high-performance storage systems.

According to forecasts, the market for lithium-ion battery materials will grow from its current size of about Euro 1.4 billion to Euro 4 billion by the year 2015. The market for batteries itself is expected to comprise over Euro 10 billion in the next decade. As of now, we have invested Euro 50 million in the development and marketing of battery components, as well as in the construction of pilot and production plants.

Evonik Industries is responsible for developed innovative materials for use in high-performance storage systems under the trademarks SEPARION® and LITARION™.

The innovative ceramic separator SEPARION® is heat-resistant, and more physically and chemically stable than conventional separators. Evonik produces anodes and cathodes under the trademark LITARION™. In January 2006, Evonik and its wholly owned subsidiary Litarion GmbH began construction of an electrode production plant for large-volume lithium-ion batteries at the Li-Tec site in Kamenz. The plant’s annual production capacity meets the demand for about 30,000 batteries for hybrid vehicles. Li-Tec uses the two battery components SEPARION® and LITARION™ to manufacture lithium-ion cells, which are processed into batteries and used in hybrid drives for environmentally friendly cars.