Is this the future, or just a step before solid-state?
Battery technology is an exciting new aspect of mobility today, with almost all of the motoring industry working towards battery-electric vehicles with new and innovative designs that, while certainly innovative in presentation, remain hinged on fairly-limited technology insofar as energy storage is concerned, hampered further by the sort of slow, gentle charging that is best adopted to minimise cell degradation over time.
Toshiba fashions itself as an industry leader in lithium-ion battery tech, a title that is certainly not self-assured, with its batteries used in a multitude of applications across various products, and even provides electricity storage of the immensely popular Honda Jazz hybrid and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car. The existing technology employed is called SCiB, a “safe, long-life, fast-charging lithium-ion battery” that’s been in production in various guises since 2008. Using real-world feedback, Toshiba has continually refined that technology, with the result being a brand-new high-density lithium-ion battery technology that can be recharged at lightning speeds with minimal threat to cell longevity.
*Photo for illustration only.
The key differentiator between the new SCiB battery and the existing model is the use of a “titanium-niobium oxide anode material,” that doubles the lithium storage capacity over the graphite-based anodes that are most widely used, and the lithium-titanium oxide anode that Toshiba uses today. Aside from the increased density and rapid charging, the titanium-niobium anode also reduces the likelihood of lithium metal deposition during rapid-recharging or just regular recharging in cold conditions, which would normally cause battery damage and internal short circuiting.
“We are very excited by the potential of the new titanium-niobium oxide anode, and the next-generation SCiB. Rather than an incremental improvement, this is a game-changing advance that will make a significant difference to the range and performance of electric vehicles. We will continue to improve the battery’s performance and aim to put the next-generation SCiB into practical application in fiscal year 2019.” — Dr. Osamu Hori, Director (Corporate R&D Centre), Toshiba Corporation
*Prototype 50Ah battery pack.
To further underline the commercial viability of the new battery, Toshiba has carried out rigorous testing on a 50Ah prototype battery pack, that has been exposed to 5,000 charge/discharge cycles equivalent to about 14-years of daily use. The energy density of the new battery marks a 100% improvement over existing battery cells, and maintains 90% of its capacity after those cycles, and is capable of being rapidly-recharged in ultra-cold conditions of up to -10ºC, though that charge took 10-minutes over the usual 6-minutes.
Toshiba will continue its development into further improving battery technology, but we reckon the company should take a second to pat itself on the back for the hard work it has put in into making this new SCiB battery, because it may very well revolutionise the landscape of battery-electric motoring. That said, Toyota’s working on solid-state batteries for their future automobiles, so perhaps we’ll see a battle in the near future for battery supremacy.
Stay tuned to CarShowroom for more updates as they come.
