Li-S Energy nears 500 Wh/kg with lithium-sulphur battery tech
Queensland-headquartered Li-S Energy said it has manufactured full-size 10 Ah semi-solid-state cells that deliver an energy density of 498 Wh/kg on first discharge and 456 Wh/kg after formation cycling, with the cells continuing to cycle in ongoing testing.
Li-S said the cells delivering this performance incorporate its third-generation semi-solid-state lithium-sulphur battery cell chemistry first announced in April 2023. The Brisbane-based company claimed then that its GEN3 Li-S battery cell tech significantly has more than twice the gravimetric energy density and improved volumetric energy density compared to lithium-ion cells.
Li-S Chief Technical Officer Dr Steve Rowlands said the latest results improve substantially on those initial findings and represent an important breakthrough for lithium-sulphur cell chemistry and position the company at the global forefront of lithium sulphur performance.
“Many R&D institutions and battery start-ups test performance on coin cells or very small pouch cells and publish energy density results from the cell’s first discharge, which is always significantly higher than its practical performance in the field,” he said.
“At Li-S we have taken a far more pragmatic and commercial approach, testing full-size 10 Ah and 20 Ah pouch cells produced on our automated production line and reporting performance after formation cycling, which more faithfully represents the true cell performance when delivered to a customer.”
Li-S said the increased energy density of almost 500 Wh/kg of its battery technology brings the company even closer to commercialising its tech as it targets the “rapidly growing” markets of drones, defence and electric aviation where weight is critical.
The company is already working with Queensland-based drone developer and operator V-TOL Aerospace and New South Wales solar cell maker Halocell Energy to develop drones using its lithium-sulphur batteries.
Li-S Chief Executive Officer Dr Lee Finniear said the higher energy density means an even lighter battery, further improving potential range, payload and operating time for partner products.
“This is a significant breakthrough for the nascent lithium-sulphur battery industry,” he said. “Our partners in the aerospace, drone and defence industries have been clear that they need the highest possible energy density for their applications, plus reliable, high-quality cell production and a pathway to scale as demand grows.”
Finniear said Li-S would now look to enhance cell reliability, production accuracy and throughput at its 2 MWh production facility in Victoria while also working with current partners on battery management system and battery pack design.
Finniear said he expects to sign up more partners in the coming months with the latest cell performance results expected to generate substantial global interest and opportunity.
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