The B2B platform for full-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Industry News

Nissan has announced that its lithium ion battery with an enhanced nickel-manganese-cobalt electrode will be ready by 2015. The battery with an elevated storage capacity can power EVs for 300 km (186 miles) on one charge and withstand 1,000 charge cycles.

 A report released in the Japanese technology paper Nikkei announced that Nissan will replace its current batteries used in its EVs. The new batteries will ensure that the current limitations to distance will be reduced by almost double by 2015. They will incorporate a blend of nickel and cobalt to the main body of manganese which it is hoped will allow the lithium ion cells to move closer to their theoretical capacities.

Although the technology has been in testing for some time now at various research institutes, this is the first news that the automobile industry is proactively seeking to install this technology into its EVs. It is currently estimated that the costs of production for the new units will not exceed those of regular lithium-ion batteries currently in use for the LEAF EV that will enter the European, US and Japanese markets in 2010. As these new NMC formulations can offer the right combination of safety, capacity and cost Nissan’s move will go a far way in developing the next generation of dominant cathode material in the evolving Li-ion market.

NMC blend promises higher capacity

The NMC blend has been in the spot light for some time now given the potentially higher capacity. The combination of lithium and manganese rich mixed metal oxides extends the operating time between charges, increases the life span and improves the inherent safety of lithium-ion cells. This composite allows for greater levels of lithium to be used, while reducing oxygen-induced side reactions at the electrode surface that limit cell life and safety. Moreover, the enhanced stability of the composite material permits battery systems to charge at higher voltages, which leads to a substantially higher energy storage capacity than currently available material through both the higher voltage and higher capacity per unit weight of active material.

Other companies currently working with NMC materials include Panasonic, Sanyo, Hitachi, GS Yuasa, Samsung, EnerDel, Kokam, Evonik/Litarion, Enax, and Imara.