MARS-EV batteries project final meeting

MARS-EV, standing for “Materials for Ageing Resistant energy Storage for the Electric Vehicle” has celebrated its closing meeting at CIDETEC premises in a two day workshop on 28-29 September 2017.

MARS-EV has been a 4-year Large Scale Collaborative Project within the European Green Cars initiative developing materials for high energy and cycle-life Li-ion battery cells. Coordinated by CIDETEC, up to 16 top-notch European partners have been involved including academia, research and industry.

To make the electric car appealing for the consumer it is mandatory to offer a vehicle with a sufficient range per single charge together with fast recharge capabilities. For this purpose, batteries with high energy density and high current acceptance are needed. But not only energy density, also battery durability is a key element specially if some degree of fast charge is applied during its lifetime.

MARS-EV project has aimed to overcome some of the main limitations by focusing on the development of high energy electrode materials and safe electrolyte systems with improved cycle-life, sustainable scale-up synthesis, industrial scale prototype cell assembly, modelling ageing behavior at the electrode and system level, and full life cycle assessment of the developed technology.

As a result, MARS-EV project has fulfilled essentially all its targets, producing several results of scientific interest and direct industrial application.

A variety of new cathodic materials developed and synthesized at lab scale Li-rich NMC and cobalt phosphates, both including advanced protective surface coatings. At the anode side, nanosilicon-carbon nanotube high capacity anodic materials have been developed as well. The most promising materials have been scaled up, with a patent filed and three more under study.

These materials have been formulated into environmentally friendly water-based suspensions and processed into technical electrodes. Combined with specific electrolyte additives suitable for high-voltage operation, several batches of prototype cells have been produced. Cyclabilities higher than 4000 have been achieved.

Since testing of high durability materials may last considerably and the timeframe of the project is limited, the involved partners have agreed to continue the cyclability testing of the batteries after the closure of the MARS-EV project.

Other significant results that will deserve further research and development include electrical and thermal ageing models for extended lifetime estimation, life cycle analysis, recycling and reuse of the materials developed.

Thus, the scientific and technological cooperation of the partners in the MARS-EV consortium has made possible to cover the complete chain from raw material processing, scientific comprehension, technological research and battery manufacturing.

As an immediate result, 20 scientific articles have been published in high-impact journals, one patent deposited and three more under study, proving the commitment of the MARS-EV industrial partners to exploit all commercial aspects of the new manufacturing processes.

More info:

www.mars-ev.eu