Japanese tech major Toshiba announced to have developed a next-generation of its SCiB (Super Charge Ion Battery), which uses a new material to double the capacity of the battery anode.
Toshiba said that the new battery offers high energy density and an ultra-rapid recharging capability required for automotive applications, and will give a compact electric vehicle (EV) a driving range of 320 km after only 6 minutes of recharging.
For its next-generation SCiB, Toshiba has developed a titanium niobium oxide anode material that has double the lithium storage capacity by volume than the graphite-based anodes generally used in lithium-ion batteries. The titanium niobium oxide anode is much less likely to experience lithium metal deposition during ultra-rapid recharging or recharging in cold conditions—a cause of battery degradation and internal short circuiting, said the company.
Also, a proprietary method has been developed for synthesizing and disarranging crystals of titanium niobium oxide and storing lithium ions more efficiently in the crystal structure. The anode of the next-generation SCiB realized through this approach has double times the capacity of the anode of current lithium-ion batteries, said the company.
Rigorous testing of a 50 Ah prototype of the new battery has confirmed that it retains the long life cycle, low-temperature operation, excellent safety and rapid recharging characteristics of the current SCiB. The energy density by volume of battery is twice that of the current SCiB. The next-generation SCiB maintains over 90% of its initial capacity after being put through 5,000 charge/discharge cycles, and ultra-rapid recharging can be done in cold conditions, with temperatures as low as minus 10°C, in only ten minutes, said Toshiba.
“Rather than an incremental improvement, this is a game changing advance that will make a significant difference to the range and performance of EV.” – Dr. Osamu Hori, Director of Corporate Research & Development Center, Toshiba.
The company aims to commercialize the next-generation SCiB in 2019.
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