Better Battery Cells

This page has been created to keep track of advancements in the battery industry, and provide a list of companies working on them, in the hopes that we are able to get some next-generation battery cells for future cars.

Names to follow:

John B Goodenough (researcher at University of Texas at Austin)
- Helped invent RAM
- Invented Li-ion batteries
- Working on Solid State Batteries
Maria Helena Braga
- Researcher with John B Goodenough
Jeff Dahn
- Researching with Tesla
- Researcher at Dalhousie

Lithium - Metal Batteries

Solid Energy Systems (http://www.solidenergysystems.com/)

A Spin-off from an MIT lab, this company has commercialized a lithium-metal battery, claiming 2x the energy density of current Li-ion cells. According to their timeline, they plan to produce cells for EVs in 2020.
Apollo EV battery: http://www.solidenergysystems.com/apollo/
As far as I can tell, these batteries are not just being talked about, they are in production and actually making and using them.
They have a partnership with what was A123 systems.
450Wh/kg batteries currently being made.

Lithium-Ion Silicon Anode

https://enovix.com/2019/09/09/ev-battery-innovation/

Enovix seems to be making cells, they claim 325Wh/kg is possible with their 3D stack technology, using a silicon anode and a typical NMC cathode.

Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/lithium-sulphur-battery/

https://www.techexplorist.com/new-lithium-sulphur-battery-makes-cell-phone-work-five-continuous-days/29055/

https://phys.org/news/2019-10-scientists-lithium-sulfur-battery-production-future.html

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/06/tech/lithium-sulfur-battery-scli-intl-scn/index.html

Seems promising, 4x extra energy density given in some presentations, I have only seen these in the news sites. No official publications that I have seen yet, so probably a long way off from being commercialized. Most recent breakthrough came from Monash University (Melbourne), however multiple barriers to mass production such as rapid degradation. Previous attempts to overtake lithium-ion batteries since the major breakthrough in 2009 have failed, so possibly another 10 years if the technology proves to survive long periods of time.