Startup Ateios Systems has teamed up with Kodak to develop a process that could revolutionize electric vehicle battery manufacturing.
According to Charged Electric Vehicles Magazine, the process could pump out high-capacity electrodes at a record pace without the use of solvents or “forever chemicals” (PFAS).
Powered by Ateios’ RaiCure platform, the system can coat electrodes at a speed of 80 meters (262 feet) per minute, nearly three times faster than the standard 30 meters (98 feet) per minute for fluorine-polymer-based electrodes.
Electrode coating is crucial to the battery manufacturing process, as it creates a defect-free surface and directly affects a battery’s performance, efficiency, and lifespan. Despite its high speed, the system produces electrodes that work with graphite, lithium cobalt oxide, nickel manganese cobalt, and lithium-iron phosphate battery material.
The fact that the system works with various materials is significant because LFP batteries are made from more abundant materials, which makes them less expensive to manufacture and, presumably, cheaper and more widely available to a broader consumer base.
The manufacturing will take place at Kodak’s facility in Rochester, New York. Although the companies state that it will take only two to three months to take a new battery design from lab concept to commercial-scale production, according to Eastman Kodak chief technical officer Terry Taber, the development stage will take a few years, per RochesterFirst.com.
As the world continues to electrify, with EV global sales continuing to rise, it’s key that companies such as Ateios can produce quality components at a rate that keeps up with demand.
Innovations such as this could make EVs more affordable. Along with the savings on gas and general maintenance, it could go a long way in convincing consumers to make their next car an EV, reducing the number of gas-powered vehicles on the road and the planet-heating pollution they create.
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Speaking of this electrode manufacturing innovation, Ateios founder and CEO Rajan Kumar told Charged EVs: “Backed by a resilient supply chain, RaiCure delivers high-energy, high-quality, PFA-free electrodes at record-setting speed, giving battery makers the ability to build better batteries.”
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