Abstract
Research Objectives
Batteries are a $63 billion global industry. Where consumers have gotten used
to having more capability and more power at their fingertips, batteries are
and will be the preferred energy storage solution for a long time to come.
Manufacturers of all types of commercial products - from microchips to cell
phones, lawnmowers to automobiles, medical implants to cordless power tools -
would benefit from battery technology with better performance that is lighter,
smaller, cheaper, safer and greener. Battery manufacturers are developing new
generations of batteries, in various form factors, for existing and
emerging markets:
- Batteries with more energy in smaller packages: flexible and lightweight
thin-film and/or screen-printed batteries for tiny electronic systems and
emerging micropower energy-harvesting devices, where macro trends and market
trends are converging around ecosensititives and low-power devices.
- Larger-format but lighter-weight rechargeable batteries with greater
power, higher energy, longer runtimes and better safety profiles: for the
transportation industry and advancing the market for plug-in hybrid and
all-electric vehicles.
- Ultra-large advanced batteries for storing energy from renewable,
sustainable sources: for electric utility grid services and clean-energy
generators like wind turbines and solar panels.
- Alternative, hybrid energy storage devices with attributes of both a
battery and either an ultracapacitor or a fuel cell: potentially
ground-breaking future energy storage devices that may be superior to any
batteries commonly used today.
Commercial companies, start-ups and universities are all working on new
battery designs that rely on new materials and new chemistries. Some of their
technologies are available to OEMs and product designers already. Others are
struggling to move into the production phase and may see their plans delayed
by the global recession. Some may never succeed as mainstream products at all.
The sheer number of companies and R&D centers active in battery development,
and their varied approaches, are an indication, however, that this is a
competitive market with potentially lucrative opportunities for battery makers
in years to come.
This report' s primary focus is technologically advanced secondary
(rechargeable) batteries in both large and small format. The report covers
advanced technologies as replacements for NiCd and NiMH, especially advanced
lithium-ion batteries that make use of new electrode materials and
electrolytes. It also covers printable batteries and thin-film battery stacks
as enablers of micropower applications, and hybrid battery/fuel cell systems
that are emerging as complements to consumer electronics batteries. Tables and
charts are used to give a big picture of the future growth potential for
advanced battery technologies based on the leading markets (applications). The
report includes profiles of 25 commercial (a few of them public) and
development-stage companies and their products and business strategies.
Another 12 commercial and/or university-based R&D centers are covered.
Findings and forecasts are based on a mix of primary and secondary research
sources. Fuji-Keizai USA conducted first-person telephone interviews with
select U.S.-based battery manufacturers. We focused on companies with 1)
innovative technology, 2) commercial potential as measured by relationships
with customers or partners, and 3) venture capital interest. We further
surveyed publicly available documents and white papers of battery companies,
third-party investor reports, academic research literature and technical
documents from the U.S. Department of Energy to assess state-of-the-art
technical challenges and goals.
Definition and Characteristics of Next-Generation Batteries
Next-generation batteries are technologies that have higher power density and
higher energy density, are safer, and can be put in new form factors - with
the expectation that they can also be put into mass production targeting lower
costs.
Ideal characteristics are:
- Smaller form factor (the amount of space in a device reserved for
batteries)
- Low weight
- More customizable shapes (flexibility)
- Longer cycle life (10,000 to 15,000 charges vs. <1,000 for existing
batteries)
- Shorter recharge times (e.g., recharging to almost full capacity in just
minutes)
- Composed of novel electrode materials, including nanomaterials
- Improved tolerance for extreme high and low temperatures
- Operationally safe
- Environmental friendly (i.e., nontoxic)
- Targeted to high-value and/or high-growth markets and applications
- Eventual reduced cost (e.g., potentially one-tenth the cost of today' s
NiMH or Li-ion batteries)
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