Periodic Reporting for period 3 - 3beLiEVe (Delivering the 3b generation of LNMO cells for the xEV market of 2025 and beyond)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and road transport accounts for some three-quarters of those transport emissions. A rapid shift from combustion-engine-based vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) can make an important contribution towards lowering transport-related emissions, provided battery and vehicle production, as well as vehicle charging, are based on renewable energies and circular material flows.
At present, battery technology is emerging as the leading energy storage technology for the electrification of road vehicles. Both the commercial availability of battery electric vehicle (BEV) models, as well as the registration statistics for new vehicles show clearly that BEVs and hybrids currently play the leading role in the shift away from the combustion engine.
To further increase the adoption rate of EVs, these need to become cheaper and to acquire better performance (range, lifetime), including environmental impact. Since the traction batteries in electric vehicles account for a significant share of the vehicle's total cost, are central to its performance in terms of range, power and acceleration, and their production significantly impacts the sustainability profile of the vehicle and the transport services it renders, improvements to the battery are key in promoting the adoption of EVs. 3beLiEVe addresses the areas of performance, safety, and sustainability of batteries for automotive applications.
The overall aim of 3beLiEVe was to develop and demonstrate production of the next-generation (3b) of high-energy LNMO cells with sensors suitable for xEV applications and compatible with a circular economy, as well as to demonstrate European manufacturing capability to cover the whole value chain from cell to system level:
Objective 1: Develop a Cobalt-free Li-Ion battery cell for xEV applications with a high volumetric energy density (>=750Wh/L), fast charging capability (3C+), and long first cycle life (2,000+ cycles) using LNMO cathode, Si-C anode, and LiFSI electrolyte.
Objective 2: Develop a portfolio of sensors for cell and module monitoring that supports smart diagnostics and system management to increase the lifetime and useable energy of the battery.
Objective 3: Develop inline automated quality control equipment for manufacturing (electrode inspection).
Objective 4: Demonstrate the battery technology pack at TRL 6 and MRL 8; demonstrate upscaling of production processes to gigafactory volumes.
Objective 5: Demonstrate the fitness of the 3beLiEVe cell, module and pack technology for a circular economy.
At present, battery technology is emerging as the leading energy storage technology for the electrification of road vehicles. Both the commercial availability of battery electric vehicle (BEV) models, as well as the registration statistics for new vehicles show clearly that BEVs and hybrids currently play the leading role in the shift away from the combustion engine.
To further increase the adoption rate of EVs, these need to become cheaper and to acquire better performance (range, lifetime), including environmental impact. Since the traction batteries in electric vehicles account for a significant share of the vehicle's total cost, are central to its performance in terms of range, power and acceleration, and their production significantly impacts the sustainability profile of the vehicle and the transport services it renders, improvements to the battery are key in promoting the adoption of EVs. 3beLiEVe addresses the areas of performance, safety, and sustainability of batteries for automotive applications.
The overall aim of 3beLiEVe was to develop and demonstrate production of the next-generation (3b) of high-energy LNMO cells with sensors suitable for xEV applications and compatible with a circular economy, as well as to demonstrate European manufacturing capability to cover the whole value chain from cell to system level:
Objective 1: Develop a Cobalt-free Li-Ion battery cell for xEV applications with a high volumetric energy density (>=750Wh/L), fast charging capability (3C+), and long first cycle life (2,000+ cycles) using LNMO cathode, Si-C anode, and LiFSI electrolyte.
Objective 2: Develop a portfolio of sensors for cell and module monitoring that supports smart diagnostics and system management to increase the lifetime and useable energy of the battery.
Objective 3: Develop inline automated quality control equipment for manufacturing (electrode inspection).
Objective 4: Demonstrate the battery technology pack at TRL 6 and MRL 8; demonstrate upscaling of production processes to gigafactory volumes.
Objective 5: Demonstrate the fitness of the 3beLiEVe cell, module and pack technology for a circular economy.
Active and passive materials for cathode and anode have been selected and combined for optimized performance in cell energy density and cyclability. Sensor integration and BMS updates for this high-voltage chemistry (charge up to 4.9V) have been developed to facilitate advanced sensing of the status of the cell to enable improved SOC/SOH estimation using advanced algorithms. A module design that allows compensation of the swelling exhibited by battery cells containing significant amounts of Si has been developed. The industrial- scale production of cell, module and pack at gigafactory level have been modeled. Cells, sensors, module, and pack have been tested according to criteria defined in the requirements stage. A characterization protocol for ageing of cells in a second-life stationary application has been proposed and evaluated. Environmental and economic analysis of the full lifecycle of the battery has been performed using LCA and LCC, respectively. The TRL of the various technologies (cells, module, pack, sensors, BMS) developed in 3beLiEVe has been assessed.
3beLiEVe has performed research and innovation activities in the domain of advanced Li-ion cells (generation 3b). It has taken a highly integrated view of the value chain of an innovative generation 3b battery chemistry based on a cobalt-free lithium nickel manganese oxide cathode and a silicon-graphite anode, from active materials through cell assembly, first life in automotive applications, second life in a stationary battery energy storage system, and finally disassembly and recycling.
This work has resulted in the output of seven journal publications, two peer reviewed conference publications, 12 presentations at conferences, one white paper, 20 public deliverables, and presentation of the project and its results at 14 public events.
The 3beLiEVe consortium comprises of 21 partners from 10 different European countries representing ten (10) industrial companies, four (4) SMEs, six (6) RTOs, and one (1) university. The project has provided exposure across a large part of the battery value chain, from requirements and raw materials through to recycling. Each partner has been able to conduct their work in this context and benefit from the pooling of expertise, perspectives, equipment, and capabilities beyond the scope of any single partner. The high level of integration has promoted cooperation across all the organisations and led to better understanding of requirements, processes, and challenges in the development and upscaling of novel lithium-ion cell chemistries.
The 3beLiEVe lifecycle analysis has shown that LNMO cathode technology has the potential to achieve significant (~20%) reductions in lifecycle GHG emissions vs. comparable NMC-based li-ion battery cells, as well as a complete elimination of Co and a significant reduction of Mn. From an environmental as well as from a supply chain and human rights perspective, these can be positive developments if this gen3b technology were to gain traction in the market.
3beLiEVe delivers economic and technological has impact through:
1) Capacity building across the battery value chain: the knowledge gained by all individual participants and institutions acts directly to support the European industry in terms of technological knowledge and preparedness for fast implementation. There is observable networking and mobility of skilled people between different actors (companies, etc.) along the value chain. Project results show what works and where there are still research and development gaps.
2) Exploitation of results: the project results create impact through their further exploitation. This happens along the lines of i) use of the results for further (co-funded) research (e.g. project HighSpin), and ii) use of the results for product and service development (see D8.3).
3beLiEVe has highlighted promising advances on the cathode side and large-volume manufacturing for gen3b cells. Challenges in the full-cell performance have been identified, particularly for the cycle life (stability) of cells with LNMO cathode, silicon-graphite anode and high-voltage electrolyte. Stable performance and more extensive testing will be needed to demonstrate TRL6 for this cell chemistry.
The lifecycle costing has shown that while some of the anticipated cost reductions from the 2019 baseline could be realised, the 90€/kWh cost target at pack level could not be reached under the assumptions and with the results of this project. 138€/kWh could be confirmed with conservative estimates, though that is not to say that this is the lowest possible cost.
The 3beLiEVe lifecycle assessment has shown that LNMO can enable the reduction of Coin lithium-ion batteries by 100% (complete elimination) and the reduction of Ni by ~60 %, through substitution with Mn versus comparable NMC-based chemistry.
This work has resulted in the output of seven journal publications, two peer reviewed conference publications, 12 presentations at conferences, one white paper, 20 public deliverables, and presentation of the project and its results at 14 public events.
The 3beLiEVe consortium comprises of 21 partners from 10 different European countries representing ten (10) industrial companies, four (4) SMEs, six (6) RTOs, and one (1) university. The project has provided exposure across a large part of the battery value chain, from requirements and raw materials through to recycling. Each partner has been able to conduct their work in this context and benefit from the pooling of expertise, perspectives, equipment, and capabilities beyond the scope of any single partner. The high level of integration has promoted cooperation across all the organisations and led to better understanding of requirements, processes, and challenges in the development and upscaling of novel lithium-ion cell chemistries.
The 3beLiEVe lifecycle analysis has shown that LNMO cathode technology has the potential to achieve significant (~20%) reductions in lifecycle GHG emissions vs. comparable NMC-based li-ion battery cells, as well as a complete elimination of Co and a significant reduction of Mn. From an environmental as well as from a supply chain and human rights perspective, these can be positive developments if this gen3b technology were to gain traction in the market.
3beLiEVe delivers economic and technological has impact through:
1) Capacity building across the battery value chain: the knowledge gained by all individual participants and institutions acts directly to support the European industry in terms of technological knowledge and preparedness for fast implementation. There is observable networking and mobility of skilled people between different actors (companies, etc.) along the value chain. Project results show what works and where there are still research and development gaps.
2) Exploitation of results: the project results create impact through their further exploitation. This happens along the lines of i) use of the results for further (co-funded) research (e.g. project HighSpin), and ii) use of the results for product and service development (see D8.3).
3beLiEVe has highlighted promising advances on the cathode side and large-volume manufacturing for gen3b cells. Challenges in the full-cell performance have been identified, particularly for the cycle life (stability) of cells with LNMO cathode, silicon-graphite anode and high-voltage electrolyte. Stable performance and more extensive testing will be needed to demonstrate TRL6 for this cell chemistry.
The lifecycle costing has shown that while some of the anticipated cost reductions from the 2019 baseline could be realised, the 90€/kWh cost target at pack level could not be reached under the assumptions and with the results of this project. 138€/kWh could be confirmed with conservative estimates, though that is not to say that this is the lowest possible cost.
The 3beLiEVe lifecycle assessment has shown that LNMO can enable the reduction of Coin lithium-ion batteries by 100% (complete elimination) and the reduction of Ni by ~60 %, through substitution with Mn versus comparable NMC-based chemistry.