Batteries & Energy Storage news and discussions

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GM bets on LMR prismatic battery cells to boost EV range and cut costs
By Aaron Turpen
May 18, 2025

General Motors and LG Energy Solution have announced plans to put lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cells into production. The cells will be used in future full-sized trucks and SUVs as part of GM's Ultium platform.

The companies have been working together on manganese-rich batteries since 2015, with LG's original patent for them dating back to 2010. LMR cells reportedly offer a 33% higher energy density when compared to leading lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) cells. GM says this feature will boost range to over 400 miles (644 km) in most of its full-sized electric vehicles.

In addition to the efficiency gains, LMR prismatic cells are also claimed to be more cost-effective. LMR tech reduces the amount of expensive cobalt and nickel use in the cathode, replacing it with less costly manganese. It also reduces the number of battery components by 50%.

LG Energy Solution is currently planning to start pre-production of the LMR cells in late 2027, with full production going online in 2028. Production will be at GM and LG's Ultium Cells plants in Ohio and Tennessee.

https://newatlas.com/automotive/gm-lg-e ... batteries/

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Prototype sodium-air fuel cell could power electric planes and trains
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-pro ... -cell.html
by Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Batteries are nearing their limits in terms of how much power they can store for a given weight. That's a serious obstacle for energy innovation and the search for new ways to power airplanes, trains, and ships. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have come up with a solution that could help electrify these transportation systems.

Instead of a battery, the new concept is a kind of fuel cell which is similar to a battery but can be quickly refueled rather than recharged. In this case, the fuel is liquid sodium metal, an inexpensive and widely available commodity.

The other side of the cell is just ordinary air, which serves as a source of oxygen atoms. In between, a layer of solid ceramic material serves as the electrolyte, allowing sodium ions to pass freely through, and a porous air-facing electrode helps the sodium to chemically react with oxygen and produce electricity.

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The new DJI Power 2000 just dropped – and so did the price
By Joe Salas
July 04, 2025

DJI, known for high-tech drones, has recently dipped its rotors into the heavy-hitters of the off-grid sector, and honestly, it doesn't disappoint. The DJI Power 2000 is a stylish, feature-rich, compact little beast of a power station that dropped the other day with some serious specs – and an obvious eye on popular brands like Jackery, EcoFlow, and Renogy.

Being a bit of an off-grid enthusiast myself and having spent roughly eight "#vanlyfe" years travelling the lower 48, I'm no stranger to batteries and how good – or bad – they can be.

There's a whole host of options when it comes to portable power generators these days. Renogy was one of the first ones I became familiar with, as my first solar starter kit was, in fact, Renogy. EcoFlow hit my radar soon thereafter, and now Jackery is all the buzz. And rightly so; battery technology has gotten better and safer.

https://newatlas.com/knives-multitools/ ... generator/

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New method replaces nickel and cobalt in battery for cleaner, cheaper lithium-ion batteries
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-met ... eaner.html
by McGill University

A team of McGill University researchers, working with colleagues in the United States and South Korea, has developed a new way to make high-performance lithium-ion battery materials that could help phase out expensive and/or difficult-to-source metals like nickel and cobalt.

The team's breakthrough lies in creating a better method of producing "disordered rock-salt" (DRX) cathode particles, an alternative battery material. Until now, manufacturers struggled to control the size and quality of DRX particles, which made them unstable and hard to use in manufacturing settings. The researchers addressed that problem by developing a method to produce uniformly sized, highly crystalline particles with no grinding or post-processing required.

"Our method enables mass production of DRX cathodes with consistent quality, which is essential for their adoption in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage," said Jinhyuk Lee, the paper's corresponding author and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mining and Materials Engineering.

From 0 to 100 in 12 minutes—roadmap for lithium–sulfur batteries
https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-min ... eries.html
by Kiel University

Grab a coffee and your car is fully charged—this is how many people envision the future of mobility. But today's batteries still fall short of this ideal. While modern lithium–ion batteries can charge from 20% to 80% in about 20 to 30 minutes, a full charge takes considerably longer—and fast charging puts significant stress on the cells.

A new international review study published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials now shows how lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) could overcome these limitations.

Researchers from Germany, India, and Taiwan—coordinated by Dr. Mozaffar Abdollahifar from the research group of Professor Rainer Adelung at Kiel University (CAU)—systematically analyzed hundreds of recent studies and identified mechanisms that can enable LSBs to operate stably and efficiently even at high charging rates. Their goal: charging times under 30 minutes—ideally as low as 12 minutes—combined with higher energy density and extended driving range.

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