Batteries.

Battery materials firm Solvay and energy management firm Veolia are partnering on a circular-economy consortium to manage critical metals used in lithium-ion electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Belgian firm Solvay and French company Veolia , through its subsidiary SARP Industries, are engaged in discussions about the battery value chain— from access and spent battery feedstock to dismantling, metal extraction and purification— with a car manufacturers and battery cell producers.

Exide Technologies in Europe has launched a free battery-testing app to make it easier for workshops to test and replace 12V lead-acid batteries.

The app works on any device with a web browser and is designed to work alongside the Exide EBT965P battery tester, which can test standard, GEL, AGM and EFB 12V batteries.

The next-generation device will allow mechanics to analyse battery test results and give customers battery replacement options within five minutes via SMS or email.

Workshops are alerted as soon as a customer authorises the replacement. Workshops can then present multiple battery options based on the fitment list coming from Exide. 

The system performs advanced analysis on the battery through Conductance Profiling™ technology covering cranking health, voltage, temperature, reserve health capacity and recommendations for further battery treatment such as recharge.

Each test produces a QR code, which the app can scan to import the test results. These test results can also be entered manually.

The app works in most European countries, is available in 13 languages and supports multiple currencies.

Workshops can register for free at ebtp.exide.com. 

This week Exide in Europe launched its grid-focused GNB Marathon FTX range of advanced AGM batteries for telecom and electric utility applications.

The battery uses a MICROCAT® Catalyst to reduce float current and minimise water loss by recombining the hydrogen and oxygen chemically back into water, further increasing the battery lifespan. The firm says this enables a service life of five years at 40°C to reduce the overall cost of ownership— a key consideration when pitting lead-acid against lithium-ion batteries in the above applications.

The market for flexible, thin and printed batteries will grow to $500 million within a decade due to the rise of Internet of Things, wearables and environmental sensors, IDTechEx’s report “Flexible, Printed and Thin Film Batteries 2020-2030”.

That’s good news for Blackstone Technology— the German subsidiary of the Swiss firm Blackstone Resources— because it’s just passed crucial milestones for its printed next generation batteries.

China battery maker Wanxinag Group has secured a $1.4 billion deal to supply German vehicle OEM Volkswagen Group (VW) with lithium-ion batteries.

The deal, through the China firm’s subsidary Wanxiang A123 (Wanxiang bought battery maker A123 in 2012), gives VW a second China lithium-ion cell supplier alongside Contempoary Aperex Technology (CATL). 

A three-year project by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made a breakthrough in improving lithium-ion batteries.

Researchers used a coating called PEDOT to completely protect each particle of the cathode — inside and out — from reacting with the electrolyte, which improves lithium-ion battery cycle life and safety.