Porsche aims for faster charging, higher energy density batteries and own fast charging network

As part of the Volkswagen Group’s inaugural Battery Day presentation, Porsche revealed continuing research and development into high performance battery and charging technologies, including the replacement of graphite with silicone in battery cell anodes.

Battery Technology

"The battery cell is the combustion chamber of tomorrow," says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG. "Our electrified high-performance sports and racing cars place the highest demands on battery technology. To meet these demands, Porsche needs special high-performance cells. Silicon has big potential."

Porsche’s Performance Battery Plus and 800V architecture as fitted to the Taycan Turbo.

An EV battery is made up of a few core components: the anode, cathode, separator, electrolyte, and one positive and one negative current collectors. Lithium ions are stored across both the cathode and anode, and the electrolyte carries these positively charged ions from the cathode to the anode during charging, and from the anode to the cathode during discharge (driving).

Porsche is looking at new battery cell chemistries to allow efficient operation in extreme temperatures, and to improve reliability and longevity in DC rapid charging. Porsche states that new batteries will begin testing in limited-production road vehicles and within their customer motorsport program. Porsche has also outlined a desire to ensure that there is a “completely European production chain for high-performance batteries”, implying a geopolitical need to avoid any reliance on dominant South Korean and Chinese cell providers LG Chem and CATL.

Battery modules in the Performance Battery Plus.

Porsche’s Own Charging Network

Porsche also announced plans to roll out a DC fast-charging network across important European autobahns, highways and motorways. Clearly looking to imitate Tesla’s Supercharger network—at least on a small scale—which provides industry-leading convenience and ease of use for Tesla owners, Porsche’s charging stations will feature six to twelve charging points, from 350kW and up.

The DC chargers at Porsche’s Leipzig customer centre could be a model for the company’s future highway chargers.

According to Blume, "An important prerequisite for electromobility is fast and convenient charging. That is why we are currently working on the details of a concept for our own fast-charging stations. We will select attractive locations for these in order to offer our customers the most comfortable and fastest long-distance travel experience possible."

Exact locations are not known at this stage, and plans outside Europe seem unlikely, but Porsche plans self-service lounge facilities with smartphone app access for its customers. These Porsche charging stations should complement the Ionity network nicely, and you can bet that the charging sites will feature Porsche’s usual high-end techno-minimalist look and feel. As the brand expands its electric offerings beyond the Taycan to the Macan and potentially the Cayenne by 2025, this rollout should quell future customers’ concerns about range anxiety, at least in Europe.

Porsche Leipzig’s customer centre features 350 kW DC/22 kW AC charging.

Energy Renaissance announces start of construction for Australia's first lithium-ion battery factory

Australia will soon be producing lithium-ion batteries onshore, thanks to start-up Energy Renaissance. With funding raised exclusively from private investors, Energy Renaissance has committed to manufacturing batteries at a site in Tomago, NSW, only a few kilometres from the Port of Newcastle.

Energy Renaissance’s 4,500 sqm purpose-built facility will manufacture Australian made batteries that are, according to the company “safe, secure, affordable and optimised to perform in hot climates.” Energy Renaissance will be manufacturing energy storage systems for the transport industry including busses and light commercial vehicles, as well as batteries for grid-scale, mining industry and community storage uses.

Energy Renaissance will have an initial battery production capacity of 48MWh per year and the capacity to expand to 180MWh per year in 2022. Energy Renaissance’s long-term plans are to develop a 1GWh battery manufacturing facility, and potentially grow to 5.3GWh over the next decade.

Construction of the facility will commence in April 2021 with a small-scale production trial run of batteries to start by July 2021, ramping up to full-scale production in October 2021.

CIS Solutions recently undertook an independent economic impact analysis, and concluded that an Australian advanced manufacturing industry supplying and exporting battery-grade chemicals and materials would create over 100,000 construction and 80,000 operational jobs and add AUD$7.3 trillion in export revenue. (Note that we haven’t been able to find a link to this study online)

There has been a dramatic decline in appetite for Australian iron ore and coal both domestically and internationally, and the Australian Government has been rather slow in realising that lithium—a metal found in abundance in Australia—has the potential to not only generate serious export dollars as global demand for batteries rises over the next decade, but to also shore up skilled manufacturing jobs locally, assisting the transition and retraining of mining sector workers.

Energy Renaissance is perfectly placed to take advantage of this; it’s investment to process raw materials locally in a region already known for mining means that the company should have a captive employment market available, as well as access to global markets via the nearby port.

With the New South Wales committing to purchase over 8,000 electric buses, this should present a great opportunity for Energy Renaissance to find local customers.

The government’s Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews and the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison were also present at Energy Renaissance’s manufacturing facility launch, and were keen to jump in with their own announcement, releasing the Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing road map in the Commonwealth Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy.

The Strategy has the following goals:

• 2 years: Improved capability to bring products quickly to market, through improved market development activities and investment made in critical enablers.

• 5 years: Foster increased collaboration with relevant sectors and international supply chains, increase exports and grow private sector investment.

• 10 years: Australia seen as a regional hub for resources technology and critical minerals processing, with significant R&D advancements, retention in intellectual capital for SMEs and significant volume and value of exports.

We’ll keep you updated as Energy Renaissance’s facility comes together.

Read more about the government’s strategy here: https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/resources-technology-and-critical-minerals-processing-national-manufacturing-priority-road-map

Singapore Begins Research on Floating Energy Storage Solution

Image: Keppel O&M

Space is precious in Singapore; with a population of close to 6 million and a land area of 725km2, creative thinking is required for large scale transport and energy projects. The Maritime Executive writes that Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) plan to install a floating energy storage system with 7.5MWh of lithium ion batteries on Keppel O&M’s Floating Living Lab.

The EMA’s Chief Executive, Ngiam Shih Chun said“Energy storage and smart energy management systems support the deployment of more renewable energy in Singapore. This project will pave the way to overcome our land constraints, and set the blueprint for similar deployments in the future.”

The floating lab batteries will be stacked vertically-a first for Singapore-reducing the footprint by an estimated 40%. A seawater liquid cooling setup will also be implemented, to reduce the batteries’ operating temperature and improve performance in the humid climate of Singapore.

Due for completion in 2023, the 7.5MWh capacity should be enough to supply power to 600 4-room HDB units, which are around 90m2 or 970ft2.

Find out more below:

Source: The Maritime Executive