Category: Posts

Fast charging is critical for global electrification 

The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) is undeniable. But one major sticking point remains: charging times. Add to that the lack of available EV charging locations and short range associated with many electric vehicles, it’s no wonder that electric vehicle adoption is happening slower than hoped.  

Frustration with slow charging doesn’t only apply to EVs. Speed in charging cells is a necessity for devices that cross multiple industries, such as commercial energy storage systems, power tools, mobile phones, and even earbuds.

With all the recent advancements in battery cell chemistries and designs, why is truly faster charging still not widely available? Where is the charging solution that enables faster charging in multiples, not percentages, that can work for every battery and application – and what is standing in the way?

Lithium battery tear-down conducted in Iontra labs

Li-ion battery basics 

The majority of today’s products primarily rely on lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. As scientists and researchers began to study this new element, its light weight relative to other elements, coupled with it’s electrochemical potential made pointed to compatibility for applications in energy storage. Though initial experiments using lithium for batteries posed multiple hurdles, this changed in 1980, with the discovery of lithium cobalt oxide was used as a cathode material 

This new cathode allowed lithium ions to be reversibly intercalated. This game-changing development served as the catalyst for the creation of the first lithium ion cells. Sony recognized the potential of this technology, and after investing in it’s development, released the first commercialized lithium-ion batteries in the early 1990s.  

The charging challenge: disadvantages of faster charging speeds  

When exposed to high charge currents, Li-ion batteries, in particular its anodes, begin to experience increased rates of damage through:  

Loss of capacity: Due to temperatures within the cell, environmental factors, and use over times, the cell’s capacity will drop, decreasing functionality.  

Plating: Lithium ions begin to deposit on the surface of the battery anode (negative electrode) unevenly, forming stalagmite-like structures. Once these protrusions grow to a certain size, they can puncture the separator, leading to internal shorts and subsequently, safety hazards. 

Heat: Higher charging rates produce additional heat, which can speed up degradation within the battery and shorten its overall cycle life.  

New cell chemistries to overcome the charging challenges 

The key to faster charging lies in the battery’s technology. However, this poses some significant hurdles to overcome. Until recently, the broader scientific community thought that the only way we could extract greater performance output from batteries was through changing the structure, design, and chemistry of the batteries. Scientists are tackling these challenges on multiple fronts:  

Electrode Materials: New battery anode and cathode materials capable of delivering faster charge rates are constantly being vetted. However, for any promising material that demonstrates a propensity for faster charging, the researchers must still consider and balance the effects on safety, cycle life, and energy density.  

Electrolytes: The electrolyte solution that carries ions between electrodes is crucial. New formulations with higher ionic conductivity could improve charging rates while maintaining safety. 

Solid-State Batteries: Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one. This could enable faster charging and improved safety due to reduced flammability.  

Many of these new cells are still in the research phase of development, and will not be generally available for years to come.  

The cost of battery innovation 

From what we’ve covered so far, many of the world’s largest cell OEMs and most renowned battery research labs are searching for solutions to charge quickly and maintain stable performance by creating new fast charging batteries. However, new cell chemistry development can take decades, and have an exceedingly high cost of development, occurring at every stage.  

The cost of developing new fast charging batteries 

Research and Discovery: When exploring new materials, understanding their behaviors, and testing their potential, there is a need for specialized equipment, personnel, and computational modeling. Teams must also cover the cost of purchasing the materials, which depending on their rareness, can be expensive.  

Initial Prototyping: This stage involves building specialized cells and testing them to assess various metrics such as charge speed, cycle life, and safety. This requires charging and discharging the cell over and over again until substantial data is returned, requiring specialized equipment, environments, and consistent access to power.  

Manufacturing: If the cell passes these first two stages, the next hurdle is devising a commercialization plan to make these cells available at the needed scale. This requires the development of manufacturing infrastructure, processes, facilities for fabrication, and specialized teams.  

Certifications and Approvals: Before a cell is approved for commercial distribution, they must pass multiple safety assessments and regulatory standards, which is a long and costly endeavor.  

The overall cost and time commitment of developing new fast charging batteries serves as a huge barrier to research and development. Initial investments can start in the millions, and even reaching the level of billions, just for individual cell production. When a company or lab is looking to create a battery pack using these cells, the testing and validation requirements only grow.  

But the burden is not only on the new cell’s creator, additional costs also fall to the companies looking to implement them.   

OEM costs for implementing new cell chemistries 

Procurement Costs: Depending on the rarity or novelty of the battery materials used, the cost per cell may be more expensive than the cells the OEM is currently using.  

Product Integration: If an OEM decides to use a new cell with a different size, shape, or desired characteristics, the product itself may require redesign. This means that the OEM will have to modify the product’s internal components, and in extreme cases, it’s functionality, which incurs engineering costs.  

Manufacturing: Once the product modification is complete, changes may need to be made to the OEM’s assembly lines, which can require new or additional equipment and personnel training. This transitionary period can also result in downtime, which is costly.  

Managing inventory: OEMs will need to separate their inventory of old and new product models, and maintain these holding spaces during the transition period, which puts a burden on logistical processes. 

Supplier Relationships: If a new cell is being used, this requires establishing a new supplier relationship, which can incur additional expenses for qualifying the supplier’s offering. 

How Iontra achieves faster charge rates, today 

At Iontra, we are not building new battery cells to deliver maximum efficiency and performance. We’re thinking outside the battery. Instead of modifying the battery’s components, or using new battery materials, we changed the way a battery is charged.  

At its core, our technology is a charging protocol that can be added to the existing battery’s management system and directs the device on how to charge the battery in a way that achieves a desired result. 

Remember when we talked about how uneven distribution can lead to plating and dendritic growth? By changing the way the battery is charged, we can minimize or even prevent this damage from ever occurring, which in turn increases the cell’s stability and extends its cycle life.  

Using our advanced fast charging protocols, we have reduced charge times by 60% on some cells compared to their OEM’s spec sheets, and provided more than double the cell’s specified cycle life.  

And the best part? We never had to modify the internal structure and chemistry of the battery. Whether our customers are looking to prioritize extended cycle life or faster charge speeds, these charge recipes are customized to meet their performance goals. This process is far less expensive than development and commercialization of new cells, and bypasses many of the costs that typically fall on the OEM because at the end of the day, there are no changes to the cell, only the way it’s charged.  

These savings and immediate availability are essential factors to catalyzing wider adoption for electric vehicles. OEMs do not have to wait for a miracle chemistry to be discovered to start making meaningful strides towards mass electrification, and consumers, if this technology is implemented at scale, will not have to wait multiple hours for their vehicles to charge while their neighbors with internal combustion engines are in and out of the gas station in less than five minutes. Extreme fast charging is possible while maintaining energy efficient practices, and Iontra’s technology is the key.  

 Contact us to increase your charge speed in multiples, not percentages.

WHAT ARE CONSUMER’S CONCERNS WITH E-BIKES?

E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular around the world driven by bike share companies in various cities. There are up to 350 million e-bikes in China alone today. However, there are concerns about the safety of e-bike batteries, particularly lithium-ion cells. While the energy density of lithium-ion cells makes them an ideal fit for e-bike applications, there have been well-publicized events of hazardous events with Lithium-ion batteries.  The fast growth and adoption of e-bikes globally has also increased pressure on product and component costs, including use of lower-cost batteries.

The top lithium battery incidents sparking concern for the greater public safety are:

• Fire: If a lithium-ion cell is damaged or charged improperly, the cell can enter thermal runaway conditions which in turn cause overheating, and you guessed it, fires. Between 2019 and 2023, the number of fires started by batteries increased by 9X in New York City alone.  There have also been an increasing number of serious incidents worldwide in China,  UK, Germany and the Netherlands to just name a few countries.
• Toxic Fumes: When burning, the chemicals used in lithium-ion batteries convert into gases that can be extremely harmful if inhaled. This study by mass.gov does a great job explaining the toxicity of gases produced by burning lithium-ion batteries.
• Explosion: In rare cases, battery fires can lead to a full-blown explosion, and require their special procedures to extinguish.

Let’s take a step back – this is not to scare you into never using an e-bike or keep you up at night worrying because your neighbor owns an e-bike. Lithium-ion batteries are generally safe, and many of the companies that use lithium-ion batteries in their products go through extensive testing and certifications to ensure product safety. However, despite both private policy and public regulation, these hazardous events are occurring at an increased rate due to increased adoption.   The good news is that there is technology available now to mitigate these hazards and make e-bikes safer.

WHAT IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM?

External factors (misuse, defects) lead to internal breakdowns that lead to Lithium-ion battery fires.

Two such key drivers of Lithium-ion battery degradation and safety risks are

• Charge Methodology: As Lithium-ion batteries are charged, the ions move from the cathode to the anode through the electrolyte and get distributed over the surface. However, with current charging technology, this charge current is not distributed uniformly in the battery, which leads to uneven charge distribution which in turn leads to uneven electrode (and electrolyte) deterioration, lithium plating on the anode and dendrite formation.
• Improper Charging: E-bike and e-scooter battery fires have been associated with faulty charging equipment, improper charging practices, and overloaded electrical circuits. Learn more about the electrical hazards involved with e-bike and e-scooter charging in a recent blog written by a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) electrical content specialist.

Other causes include

• Temperature Exposure: When a battery is exposed to external temperatures that surpass its specification sheet safe operating temperatures (whether they’re too high or too low), this exposure can trigger internal breakdowns.
• Improper Storage: If the battery is not stored correctly (outside of recommended conditions from the manufacturer), this can also cause issues.
• Manufacturing Defects and Issues: A manufacturing defect or lack of proper testing can lead to sub-optimal chemical makeups which can make the battery more prone to breakdowns.

The external causes mentioned above can lead to three common internal breakdowns:

• Electrode Damage: The battery contains the positive cathode and the negative anode. If electrodes become damaged by lithium plating, punctures, dendritic growth, or a manufacturing defect, it can cause internal shorts. These shorts can cause temperature spikes.
• Unstable Electrolyte: An electrolyte is a liquid or gel solution that enables ions to flow between electrodes. The battery’s electrolyte can be destabilized either by temperature or impurities, and will react with the electrodes, in turn causing electrolyte breakdown, gas release, charging inefficiency and most importantly heat generation.
• Thermal Runaway: Thermal runaway is an uncontrollable, self-heating state of a battery. This is the slippery slope that leads to battery fires. Once thermal runaway begins, the battery’s internal chemical reactions are sent into overdrive, creating a toxic cycle that leads to the battery catching fire and releasing harmful fumes as described below.

When one of the internal breakdowns listed above causes a battery to reach its critical temperature, one of the following events will occur:

• Electrolyte Combustion: The electrolyte, a highly flammable solution, will evaporate and these gaseous chemicals can fuel the eventual fire.
• Separator Breakdown: Think of a separator as a highly porous membrane, like a sponge, that separates the battery’s electrodes. If this separator breaks down, this can allow unregulated contact between the electrodes leading to short circuits
• Release of fumes: In bad cases, the battery may release toxic and flammable fumes which only worsen the likelihood of a full-on explosion especially without proper venting. Lithium-ion batteries in this state eject substances like CO (asphyxiant gas) and CO2 (anoxia inducing) which when heated. When exposed to elevated temperatures, the fluorine contained in the electrolyte and other areas of the battery can produce hydrogen fluoride (HF), another highly toxic gas. Battery fires can emit high amounts of HF, and the use of water as a flame retardant can spark further chemical reactions producing even more gasses, and even spiking HF release.

WHAT IS THE MARKET IMPACT?

To truly understand the market impact of e-bike battery fires, let’s first look at the broader consumer profiles in the e-bike market using data provided by Soteria Battery Innovation Group and TestedHQ. We’ll look at the US market as a proxy.  In the survey data provided (see figure 1), the greatest percentage of e-bike owners in the USA listed their e-bikes for recreational use (67.9%). However, this metric is closely followed by the “daily commuter” group (58.9%). From this data, we can determine that the two most common uses for e-bikes in the USA are for facilitating commutes and recreational purposes.

Regarding e-bike fires, 16.83% of recreational riders have experienced a fire, and 12.45% had NO fire protection where the bike was stored. For the daily commuter demographic, 16.83% have experienced an e-bike fire, and 53.22% of respondents DID have fire protection in the area where their bike was stored.

Looking at the macros, of all survey respondents that have experienced an e-bike fire, 84.08% perform DIY maintenance, 71.92% store the bikes in their garage or home, 95.89% charge and store their e-bikes in the same location, and 87.50% have some form of fire protection where the device is stored.

Why is this important?

• The majority of respondents both store and charge their e-bikes in their home or garage
• The majority of respondents perform DIY maintenance to their e-bikes
• A large portion of respondents use e-bike batteries that have been “fixed” or “refurbished” i.e. batteries that are not shipped by the e-bike manufacturer
  • 23% of respondents who have experienced an e-bike fire used “fixed” batteries
  • 22% of respondents who have experienced an e-bike fire use “refurbished” batteries

While thankfully, the number of users who experience e-bike fires is low, it’s important to note that a considerable number of respondents use after-market batteries and are charging these devices within their own homes.

Given this, it is essential that:

• E-bike batteries should receive rigorous testing to ensure their safety throughout all stages of their lifecycle
• That the charging methods used for e-bike battery packs receive more attention to ensure the safety of the owner, and their home.

The call for safer charging methods is not new, nor is it controversial. We can all agree that user safety is of the utmost importance. So, why do e-bike fire incidents continue to grow? And what is being done at the corporate and government levels to address them?

HOW ARE COUNTRIES RESPONDING?

In response to these concerns, China has recently implemented sweeping new regulations . The new standards regulate the design, production, and sale of e-bike batteries. They aim to address fire risks associated with lower cost and lower quality batteries. The regulations are expected to have a major impact on the US and European market as well, since most e-bike components come from China. Several experts believe that the new rules will lead to a shift towards higher-quality batteries, which will ultimately improve safety for e-bike riders.

The U.S. has also responded to this concern by introducing and passing the ‘Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act’ in May 2024, which requires the CPSC (consumer product safety commission) established federal safety standards for batteries used in e-bikes and other micro-mobility devices.

However, these regulations do not yet address the charging methodologies that also can impact battery safety and life.

HOW ARE COMPANIES RESPONDING?

Private e-bike companies and groups are taking several approaches to ensuring e-bike safety. These include:

• Higher quality battery sourcing
• Revisit battery management systems (BMS) architectures, which are the systems responsible for monitoring and regulating battery stability.
• Lastly, several interest groups have formed to serve as collaborating forums to solve the e-bike safety problem – one of which is Soteria Battery Innovation Group’s E-Bike project. Soteria has organized an initiative with many of the leading EV and E-bike producers, as well as battery optimization and charging experts, including Iontra, to jointly test cells, identify safety mechanisms and opportunities, and create e-bike best practices that will benefit both the producers and their end users.

IONTRA & SALOM EUROPE TAKING ON THE E-BIKE PROBLEM

In addition to regulations for battery manufacturing, a key need and driver in the growing adoption of e-bikes is safer and better charging technologies.  Salom and Iontra are working together to proactively address this issue.

Iontra’ s unique and patented charge control solution delivers a uniform charge distribution in the battery.  This in turn protects the anode surface and the electrolyte by eliminating hotspots, and greatly reducing the risk of lithium plating and electrolyte decomposition.  This not only increases battery life but also enables safer charging.

Salom is a global leader in innovative, safe power supply and charging architectures for volume applications including e-bike chargers. With their higher performance architectures, including high power USB-PD (power delivery) with PPS (programmable power supply) options, Salom has recognized that embedding Iontra charge control technology in e-bike chargers enhances product safety during the charging cycle whilst delivering additional value in terms of faster charging and extended cycle life.  As such, Salom is poised and ready to play a pivotal role in the safe adoption and use of e-bikes globally.

Discover Salom Europe

IN CONCLUSION…

E-bikes offer a clean and convenient transportation option, but safety concerns have been a barrier to adoption for some people. But these concerns have not gone unnoticed. In both the private and public sectors, governments, companies, and innovation groups are answering the call for safe, electric transportation.

The new battery regulations should help to address these concerns and make e-bikes a safer option for consumers. Salom Power and Iontra will be key players in accelerating this safety push by thinking outside the battery and bringing the needed innovations in e-bike charging products to market.

 

 

 

 

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Iontra Charge Control technology receives UL CB Safety Certification!

Safety is a key concern for our customers in battery charging and especially for fast charge technologies such as ours. We are excited to announce that the Iontra Charge protocol has successfully achieved safety certification from UL Solutions on two widely used cylindrical rechargeable battery cells from a leading manufacturer:

→ 2500 mAh 18650 cell
→ 3000 mAh 21700 cell

The cells, cycled with Iontra charging, successfully passed both IEC 62133-2:2017 and IEC 62133-2:2017/AMD1:2021. The certified Iontra charge protocols allow charging at a higher 4.4 V peak charging voltage upper limit and a maximum charging current up to 20A peak.

We now enable charge time improvements on these cells by a factor of up to 2.3x over the standard battery specifications and by a factor of up to 1.6x over our customer’s best charge protocols.

With over 7 million hours of cycling data across several battery cell types and chemistries, and validation reports issued by four independent laboratories, Iontra is the leader in next-generation battery charging. We have proven battery charging solutions that dramatically improve the charge speed, cycle life, capacity utilization, cold weather charging, and safety of all rechargeable batteries.

Iontra is aggressively developing products with our customers and partners across a broad spectrum of battery-operated applications.

For more information on Iontra’s revolutionary charging technology and the performance benefits we deliver, please visit our benefits page.

The battery industry has come a long way in recent years, but the need for enhanced battery performance remains a top priority for consumers and businesses alike. From smartphones to electric cars, power tools to home energy storage, we depend on rechargeable technology to power our lives. Unfortunately, the faster we try to charge our batteries, the more we damage them. This not only shortens the battery’s lifespan but also contributes to the production of e-waste and environmental harm. But with new advanced battery charging optimization technology from Iontra, the battery industry and manufacturers have the necessary tools to make a transformational change in the way we power our devices and protect our environment.

The Science Behind Battery Health

All types of batteries, including lithium-ion, zinc-ion, and lithium-sulfur, experience wear and tear during the charging process, known as chemical aging, especially with fast or ultra-fast charging. This natural damage causes batteries to lose effectiveness over time and, at a certain point, they need to be replaced. Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to plating and dendritic growth – a buildup of lithium metal on the battery’s anode surface. If left unchecked, the plating can lead to serious safety concerns, such as short-circuiting, thermal runaway, and even fires.

“If left unchecked, plating can lead to serious safety concerns, such as short-circuiting, thermal runaway, and even fires.”

Daniel Konopka, PhD

Supporting information

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Iontra’s Answer: Analysis and Adjustment

To minimize damage and maximize battery health, Iontra charging uses predictive technology to manipulate the charging current. The company’s adaptive charging technology predicts future wear and tear based on the battery’s current state and most probable future state. This sounds complicated, but the result is not: Iontra’s technology adjusts the charge a thousand times per second to get the best performance and life from a battery and prevent damage.

Iontra’s adaptive charging process reduces damage and increases the safe working life of the battery, so it doesn’t need to be replaced as often. Furthermore, this adaptive charging method improves charge times and still maintain battery health. Millions of test cycles in our state-of-the-art labs and third-party reports from organizations like UL Solutions (formerly Underwriters Laboratories), National Renewable Energy Lab, the University of Michigan, and Novonix all tell us that Iontra’s technology reduces battery damage and improves charge speed. The reports show that lithium-ion battery charge times can be improved by up to four times the standard rate, cutting down a one-hour charge time to as little as 15 minutes.

Cost-Effective and Easy to Implement

Improving battery life is often a costly investment for manufacturers, requiring new battery chemistries or cell designs for only marginal improvements. But Iontra’s focus on optimizing the charging means significant performance benefits can be brought to existing commercial and pre-commercial batteries like lithium-ion without requiring a specific battery chemistry change or cell redesign. This adaptive charging method is implemented on a microcontroller unit (MCU) Charge-Control chip, with minor charging circuit modifications, making it easy to implement across the enterprise and more cost-effective than undergoing new cell design and qualification.

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