Mercedes view of batteries for EV - Andreas Hintennach Feb. 2018

[Brando]

A Google TechTalk, 2/9/18, presented by Andreas Hintennach

ABSTRACT: Ever since the development of lithium-ion batteries the spirit of invention has mainly lead to an evolution of existing materials. With the focus on olivine and Nickel- and cobalt based materials the energy densities, power densities and ageing mechanisms could be investigated over the years and support the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

With increasing numbers of cells being used in the world the need of a post Lithium-Ion technology emerges due to a limited availability of highly pristine nickel and cobalt and increasing need for recycling, environmental protection and overall energy efficiency. Nevertheless there is still an ongoing and very promising approach for e. g. novel stoichiometries of NMC materials, olivine materials, and nickel-rich materials with can significantly increase the energy density. But due to some limitation in the field of raw materials availability, accessibility, and sustainability, low-cobalt or cobalt-free materials are of very high interest, too. For example LMR (LNMO) can be an ideal candidate. Due to the very high reactivity and potential (i. e. 4.5 V) these materials require highly stable electrolytes.

Finally, lithium-sulphur can lead to a highly recyclable, environmentally friendly system. Having a silicon-based anode (greater than 85 % Si) included both volumetric and gravimetric energy density can mean an interesting alternative to metal-oxide based materials.

With the increased energy density, safety becomes a more and more important aspect in thermodynamic and kinetic investigations of these materials. This aspect can lead to the development of non-flammable electrolytes or solid state cells.

Solid state cells are a very different but highly promising approach. Having a solid-solid interphase between electroactive materials and electrolyte the chemicals mechanisms significantly change to solid state chemistry rather than solid-organic interphases chemistry.

All types of novel chemistries exhibit very different chemical mechanisms which require specific synthetically work, e. g. with the support of numerical simulation, for electrolytes, additives, binders, carbon materials, and even the surfaces of the electro-active materials itself. Understanding these mechanisms is essential to further improve the life-time, efficiency, and hence, the sustainability of any kind of energy storage and conversion, but batteries in particular.

about 1 hour 12 minutes

Bio: Andreas Hintennach; MD, PhD, Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz, Group Research, Germany. Andreas Hintennach is a chemist and medical doctor. He received his PhD in electrochemistry from the ETH Zurich and Paul Scherrer Institute (Switzerland) in 2010. After a postdoc stay at MIT in the field of lithium-air and catalysis 2010-11 he joined the research department of Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG). His present focus in the field of electrochemistry is fundamental research on next generation electrical energy storage and conversion materials and systems, sustainability and toxicology

 

[OPRCE]

Thanks, very interesting.

Looks like MB are hoping to jump to LiS around 2025.

 

[Brando]

Thanks, very interesting.

Looks like MB are hoping to jump to LiS around 2025.

perhaps too conservative? too late?
(side note: probably too big to fail as far as German government is concerned)

Daimler/Mercedes would be wise to treat workers fairly. Long term planning to give workers less work hours (less hours needed to assemble simpler EV vs ICE vehicles) and not let earning for employees to dwindle too much. freeze ICE technician/engineers hiring and encourage retraining into electricity/electronic/software where ever possible.

Can modern corporations be this far sighted? Or will only brutal capitalism be tolerated by banksters/stock holders/upper management ?? i.e. fire everyone and hire new at bottom of the pay scale and give extra margins to banksters/stockholders/uppermanagement ?? We shall see.

Same goes for all automotive OEMs.

 

[OPRCE]

perhaps too conservative? too late?
(side note: probably too big to fail as far as German government is concerned)

Daimler/Mercedes would be wise to treat workers fairly. Long term planning to give workers less work hours (less hours needed to assemble simpler EV vs ICE vehicles) and not let earning for employees to dwindle too much. freeze ICE technician/engineers hiring and encourage retraining into electricity/electronic/software where ever possible.

Can modern corporations be this far sighted? Or will only brutal capitalism be tolerated by banksters/stock holders/upper management ?? i.e. fire everyone and hire new at bottom of the pay scale and give extra margins to banksters/stockholders/uppermanagement ?? We shall see.

Same goes for all automotive OEMs.

I suspect the workforce are in for some rude shocks but certainly the German Auto-Cartel is considered 2B2F ... Merkel & Co have been publicly pushing them to invest in battery production and up their game against Tesla before it is too late.

The results of the various pressures are starting to show, e.g. their collaboration in the IONITY HPC network, and now there are hints they may soon go further into a strategic consolidation for AV tech:

VW, BMW und Daimler schmieden Allianz für autonomes Fahren - manager magazin

"The German auto industry is working to form a mega-alliance for autonomous driving. Leading manufacturers and suppliers are investigating if and how they can develop a common system for computer-controlled cars.

VW, BMW, Daimler, Bosch and Continental together seek to develop a unified autonomous driving system, combining their strengths in order to fend off the attack from China and USA.

The initiative, driven by chiefs at VW and BMW, remains open to further participants and should be decided upon by March 2019."

 

[Brando]

@OPRCE What is 2B2F ? To Batteries to Fast ?

China, as a country and considering it's size seems destined to become the Electric Vehicle leader - government forcing.

China vs Japan vs US vs Germany vs India vs UK

Smaller European countries - Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Switzerland, Astonia, Croatia, Austria
- from half a world away - seems to be trying harder to find balanced solutions

Sadly they get trapped into US Empire Wars on "terrorists" (which US CIA starts i.e. Osama bin Laden 1979 being trained by CIA & Brezinski as Reagan "Freedom Fighters" and NATO war/armament spending, US Petrol dollar cartel and now banking cartel Federal Reserve/IMF/World Bank and the "War on Drugs" and Nuclear Power. The faster any of those countries can move away from US, the better for them in the long run - but there is a lot of money/corruption going on.

UK, France, Germany, Japan, India larger more complex and not so easy to see where they are going.
Brexit and Trump like politicians everywhere as democracies fail people and fight mostly for corporations.
[Austerity by Mark Blyth - and Chris Hedges about US Empire failing].

Big (7 billion people) and complex (~160 countries with +1,000 US military bases) so very interesting times.
Watching natural environment (oceans too) and extinction including insects and the direction looks very bad, to me. But perhaps too many wars Vietnam to the present have made me too pessimistic.

Monsanto, Bayer, and big Pharmacological companies seem to do more harm than good.

</rant> I should stop now, sorry for my venting my frustrations. so what is 2B2F ?

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

@OPRCE What is 2B2F ?

Too (2) Big To (2) Fail.