Show 17 May 2024
Story 1: Nissan steps up all-solid-state EV battery plans as pilot line construction kicks off.
Source: Electrek Story by Peter Johnson
Link: https://electrek.co/2024/04/16/nissan-steps-up-all-solid-state-ev-battery-plans/
My comment – this is a key trend to follow – solid-state batteries for cars!
First, what is a solid-state battery?
Here is feedback from a Co-Pilot AI search – A solid-state battery is an advanced type of battery that uses solid electrolytes instead of liquid or gel-based electrolytes. Here are some key points about solid-state batteries:
- Composition:
- Solid-state batteries consist of solid components, including solid electrolytes, cathodes, and anodes.
- The solid electrolyte replaces the liquid electrolyte found in traditional lithium-ion batteries.
- Advantages:
- Safety: Solid-state batteries are considered safer because they are less prone to leakage, thermal runaway, and fire hazards.
- Energy Density: They have the potential for higher energy density, which means they can store more energy in a smaller volume.
- Longevity: Solid-state batteries may have longer lifespans due to reduced chemical degradation.
- Fast Charging: They can support faster charging rates compared to conventional batteries.
- Challenges:
- Manufacturing Complexity: Developing and manufacturing solid-state batteries is more complex and expensive.
- Electrode-Electrolyte Interface: Ensuring good contact between the solid electrolyte and electrodes is crucial for performance.
- Cost: Currently, solid-state batteries are more expensive to produce than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
- Applications:
- Solid-state batteries are being researched for use in electric vehicles (EVs), portable electronics, and renewable energy storage.
- Their adoption is still limited due to challenges, but ongoing research aims to improve their performance and reduce costs.
In summary, solid-state batteries represent an exciting advancement in energy storage technology, offering safety benefits and the potential for higher energy density. However, commercialization and widespread adoption are still in progress.
Okay, now for the news:
- Nissan is accelerating all-solid-state EV battery development, hoping to make its electric models more competitive.
- Nissan kicked off construction on its all-solid-state EV battery Yokohama plant pilot line this week [the article was published April 16], with plans to introduce them in a wide range of models, including pickups.
- A big part of Nissan’s strategy includes advanced battery tech. Nissan unveiled plans to launch EVs with all-solid-state batteries made in-house by fiscal year 2028.
- Nissan believes the new tech will be a “game-changer for EVs,” with the potential to offer twice the energy density of traditional lithium-ion batteries at a lower cost.
- Nissan also believes solid-state batteries can reduce charging times by one-third.
- In October [2023], Nissan unveiled the Hyper Force EV concept. Powered by all-solid-state batteries.
My insert – here’s what Microsoft Co-Pilot AI came back with when asked what car companies are actively researching solid-state batteries:
As of now, several car manufacturers and technology companies are actively researching **solid-state batteries**. These batteries offer the potential for improved energy density, safety, and charging speed compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Here are some companies involved in solid-state battery research:
1. Toyota has been a pioneer in solid-state battery development. They have announced plans to launch electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with solid-state batteries by the mid-2020s¹.
2. Volkswagen is investing in solid-state battery technology as part of its push toward electrification. They aim to have solid-state batteries in their EVs by 2025².
3. BMW is actively researching solid-state batteries for future EVs. They are collaborating with other companies and research institutions to advance this technology³.
4. Although not a traditional car manufacturer, QuantumScape is a startup that focuses exclusively on solid-state batteries. They have received investments from Volkswagen and are working on commercializing their technology⁴.
5. Hyundai Motor Group is also exploring solid-state batteries. They have announced plans to launch EVs with solid-state batteries by 2027.
6. Ford has expressed interest in solid-state batteries and is likely researching this technology as part of its EV strategy.
Remember that solid-state batteries are still in the research and development phase, and commercialization remains a challenge. However, these companies are actively investing in the technology to bring it to market in the coming years.
Story 2: Groundbreaking microcapacitors could power chips of the future – Scientists developed microcapacitors with ultrahigh energy and power density, paving the way for on-chip energy storage in electronic devices.
Source: CleanTechnica.com Story from US Department of Energy
Link: https://cleantechnica.com/2024/05/07/groundbreaking-microcapacitors-could-power-chips-of-the-future/
See also: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07365-5
- Capacitors are one of the basic components of electrical circuits, but they can also be used to store energy. Unlike batteries, which store energy through electrochemical reactions, capacitors store energy in an electric field established between two metallic plates separated by a dielectric material.
- Side note – A dielectric is an electrical insulator that can be polarized by an applied electric field.
- Capacitors can be discharged very rapidly when needed, allowing them to deliver power quickly, and they do not degrade with repeated charge-discharge cycles, giving them much longer lifespans than batteries.
- However, capacitors generally have much lower energy densities than batteries, meaning they can store less energy per unit volume or weight, and that problem only gets worse when you try to shrink them down to microcapacitor size for on-chip energy storage.
- In the ongoing quest to make electronic devices ever smaller and more energy efficient, researchers want to bring energy storage directly onto microchips, reducing the losses incurred when power is transported between various device components.
- To be effective, on-chip energy storage must be able to store a large amount of energy in a very small space and deliver it quickly when needed — requirements that can’t be met with existing technologies.
- Addressing this challenge, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley have achieved record-high energy and power densities in microcapacitors made with engineered thin films of hafnium oxide and zirconium oxide, using materials and fabrication techniques already widespread in chip manufacturing.
- Hafnium(IV) oxide, also known as hafnium dioxide or hafnia, is the inorganic compound with the formula HfO₂. It is a colorless solid and one of the most common and stable compounds of hafnium.
- Zirconium oxide, also known as zirconia, is a white crystalline compound with the chemical formula ZrO₂.
- The findings, published in the journal Nature, pave the way for advanced on-chip energy storage and power delivery in next-generation electronics.
- Sayeef Salahuddin, the Berkeley Lab faculty senior scientist and UC Berkeley professor who led the project noted, “We’ve shown that it’s possible to store a lot of energy in microcapacitors made from engineered thin films, much more than what is possible with ordinary dielectrics. What’s more, we’re doing this with a material that can be processed directly on top of microprocessors.”
Story 3: Company develops innovative magnetic train that can operate with existing infrastructure.
Source: The Cool Down Story by Rick Kazmer
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m6nJM8DQ4M
Here’s a video with a very good explanation of the technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG8SL9TLI8s
- Italy’s IronLev has developed a magnetic train that works on existing tracks. It’s part of a fascinating breakthrough in the magnetic levitation rail world that could reduce costs, noise, and air pollution.
- A video clip of the tech in action, part of a recent test, shows a trapezoid-shaped, one-ton vehicle moving on a railway in the countryside. The test covered about 1.2 miles outside of Venice, hitting 43 mph.
- It works by utilizing the physics of magnetism to provide lift, push, and pull. The secret is a cushion of air created between the vehicle and the truck, allowing it to travel smoothly and quietly.
- IronLev chairperson Adriano Girotto noted, “Some of our competitors have carried out tests on specific tracks built to accommodate a magnetic levitation vehicle. We have demonstrated that our vehicle can levitate on an existing track. You can imagine that this makes it an easily usable technology.”
- Side note: Examples of existing maglev trains with custom tracks:
- Shanghai Maglev (China): Operational since 2004, the Shanghai Maglev is the world’s first commercial high-speed maglev line. It connects Shanghai Pudong International Airport with Longyang Road Station, covering a distance of 19 miles. The total cost for the Shanghai Maglev project was approximately $1.2 billion, equating to around $63 million per mile.
- Linimo Maglev (Japan): Located in Aichi, Japan, near Nagoya, the Linimo system was built for the 2005 World’s Fair and is still in operation
- Daejeon Expo Maglev (South Korea): Operational since 1993, this maglev system serves in South Korea
- Incheon Airport Maglev (South Korea): Operational since 2016, it connects Incheon International Airport with Yongyu Station
- Changsha Maglev Express (China): Operational since 2016, this maglev line serves in Changsha, China
- Beijing S1 Metro Line (China): Operational since 2017, it is a maglev metro line in Beijing, China
- IronLev’s ability to integrate existing infrastructure greatly reduces rollout costs. The company’s website notes that its invention could also be used in architecture, industrial settings, and even elevators.
- For IronLev’s part, the tech is already in use moving elevators, as well as loads in industrial work areas. Next up, the company plans to make a 20-ton trolley that can go 124 mph.
- If IronLev’s innovation levitates outside of Italy, your local train could become even more smoother, quieter, and healthier.
Story 4: A deaf toddler can hear thanks to a world-first gene treatment that took just 16 minutes.
Source: Business Insider Story by Serafina Kenny
See also: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-uk-girl-groundbreaking-gene-therapy.html
See video here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/health/deaf-girl-reacts-to-mothers-voice-after-hearing-restored/vi-BB1m5Skc?ocid=BingNewsSerp&t=5
- Around 1 in 500 babies are born with hearing loss or develop it in early childhood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. 50 to 60% of this hearing loss is due to genetic causes.
- The World Health Organization estimates that unaddressed hearing loss represents a global cost of $980 billion a year in costs such as healthcare and educational support.
- Opal Sandy, who is 18 months old, has auditory neuropathy, a condition caused by a faulty gene.
- Side note – Auditory neuropathy, also known as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, is a hearing disorder that affects the transmission of sound signals from the inner ear (cochlea) to the auditory nerve and brain.
- Usually, auditory neuropathy is treated with implants, but Opal was put on a trial at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, England, which is trialing gene therapy on children.
- Auditory neuropathy is caused by a faulty gene and isn’t usually detected until a child is 2 to 3 years old, when delays in speech are more noticeable. But Opal’s was picked up early through gene testing, which she was eligible for because her older sister has the condition.
- The condition means the ear can detect sound but doesn’t transmit it to the brain properly. It can cause degrees of hearing loss, but in Opal’s case, she was fully deaf from birth.
- Her treatment was part of phase one of the trial, where children are given a low dose in one ear. Phase two will involve a higher dose, still in one ear, and phase three will move on to treating both ears at a dose deemed safe from the previous phases.
- Now Opal, who lives in Oxfordshire in England, can hear almost normally thanks to a 16-minute-long gene therapy procedure.
- Doctors injected Opal’s right ear with a harmless virus that carried a working version of the faulty gene while she was under general anesthesia.
- Within four weeks of receiving the gene therapy, Opal could respond to sound. After 24 weeks, she had hearing levels that were “close to normal,” according to a press release from Britain’s health service.
- She can hear whispering in her treated ear, respond to her parents’ voices, and has even begun saying words such as “daddy” and “bye-bye” herself.
Honorable Mentions:
Story: Hong Kong tycoon wants to use space battery tech on Earth
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Ameya Paleja
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nickel-hydrogen-space-battery-earth
- Peter Lee, the Hong Kong-based tycoon, wants to use battery technology used in space back on Earth. To facilitate this, the business tycoon’s family office founded a new startup, EnerVenue, and has plans to scale up the technology at its factories in China and the US, South China Morning Post reported.
- Countries have been ramping up investments in renewable energy infrastructure to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. According to the International Energy Agency, investments in energy storage are now at over US$35 billion, up from $20 billion just two years ago.
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Story: Scientists convert chicken fat into energy storage devices
Source: TechXplore.com Story from American Chemical Society
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-05-scientists-chicken-fat-energy-storage.html
- The global move toward more sustainable, green energy has increased power reserves and the demand for energy storage devices. Unfortunately, some materials for these devices can be expensive and environmentally problematic. Producing alternative energy storage devices from things that are usually thrown away could help resolve these challenges.
- Now, researchers in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces report a method to transform chicken fat into carbon-based electrodes for supercapacitors that store energy and power LEDs.
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Story: This hopping robot with flailing legs could explore asteroids in the future
Source: Engadget.com Story by Mariella Moon
- Over the past two-and-a-half years, a group of students from ETH Zurich have been developing a robot with three spindly legs that was designed to be able to hop like an insect in microgravity. That’s right — the curious little machine was built for space, specifically for the exploration of small celestial bodies like asteroids and moons. SpaceHopper, as the robot is called, could thus provide us more information to advance our understanding of life’s origin, of the origin of water on our planet and of asteroids as potential providers of valuable resources.
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Story: This Harvard spinoff uses plastic-eating microbes to clean up waste
Source: Fast Company Story by Adele Peters
Link: https://www.fastcompany.com/91109601/harvard-spinoff-uses-plastic-eating-microbes-to-clean-up-waste
- A plastic fishing line might take 600 years to break down in nature or a landfill. A plastic bottle might take 450 years. Dental floss might take decades. But in a Harvard lab, a recently discovered microbe can begin to break down virtually any type of plastic within days.
- Breaking, a new startup, is now turning the discovery into a service that can clean up plastic pollution. “It was a huge breakthrough, and we realized the science and technology should not just stay within the lab,” says CEO and cofounder Sukanya Punthambaker. The work started at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Then it was incubated by Colossal Biosciences, the company known for using gene editing to try to bring back extinct species.