Yesterday, on July 9th, Tesla Motors Canada ULC published a patent, confirmed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the adaption of anode free lithium metal batteries. The license intended to bring forth energy sustainable and low-cost expense of battery cells for Tesla’s self-driving cars.
Jeff Dahn, who had been a leading researcher in lithium battery worldwide, came into agreement with Musk to work for the Silicon Valley Company. The motive was to build a lithium-ion pouched cell that could outperform the traditional technology battery.
The research developed by him and his team came out in a journal named Nature energy. The patent proposed to show anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells with a dual-salt LiDFOB/LiBF4 liquid electrolyte having 80% capacity remaining after 90 charge-discharge cycles, which is the most extended life demonstrated to date for cells with zero excess lithium.
“The liquid electrolyte enables smooth dendrite-free lithium morphology comprised of densely packed columns even after 50 charge-discharge cycles. NMR measurements reveal that the electrolyte salts responsible for the excellent lithium morphology slowly consumed during cycling.”
These anode-free batteries are not merely rechargeable but have a remarkable energy consumption capacity and come at a lower cost compared to the existing Li-ion batteries. The absence of the anode also makes it convenient in the assemblage.
The patent mentions electrolyte solutions with an increased capacity retention of anode-free battery systems. These cells also come with the benefit of lasting one million miles. Built with single-crystal NMC cathode and advanced electrolyte, it will help in self-driving Tesla’s robot taxis and long haul electric trucks in the coming future.
