Argonne National Lab has licensed its cathode technology to Envia Systems. (Credit: Argonne.)
Earlier this month we reported that Argonne National Lab had reached a licensing agreement with GM Ventures and LG Chem to allow the two businesses to use a special cathode technology for lithium batteries, specifically those used in GM’s Volt.
Argonne has just announced that it is also licensing its cathode technology to Envia Systems, based in Newark, Calif. That brings the total number of businesses to five, including BASF and Toda Kogyo.
Envia Systems was also recently awarded $3.65 million from the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium, a research collaboration group composed of Chrysler, Ford and GM, to develop a high-energy cathode material for vehicle applications and pouch cells.
According to a GM press release, Envia’s advanced cathode technology uses inexpensive materials that store more energy per unit of mass than current cathode materials. Since the cathode is a key driver for the overall battery cost, the more energy the cathode delivers, the lower the battery cost because fewer cells are needed.
Envia says its HCMR cathode material enables batteries that are distinct in five primary ways: using low cost safe materials, delivering unmatched energy density, providing excellent cycle life and offering an inherent ability to customize battery size and output in order to meet the demands of a variety of applications, particularly EVs and PHEVs.
Below is a promotional video by Argonne highlighting the joint venture.
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