The Michigan-based energy storage business Our Next Energy (ONE) and the BMW Group have reached an agreement for ONE to integrate its GeminiTM Dual-Chemistry battery technology into the BMW iX all-electric Sports Activity Vehicle. With its special long-range Gemini technology, ONE uses 20% less lithium, 60% less graphite, and very little nickel and cobalt. Lithium consumption is also reduced by 20%.
As a result, ONE is developing more environmentally friendly energy storage technology that has a substantial positive influence on the environment. The prototype car should be finished before the end of the year.
While other battery manufacturers are creating anode-free designs, the Gemini battery from ONE looks to be special since it employs cells with two separate cell chemistries, one for regular driving and the other to enhance driving range on longer excursions.
Gemini’s large-format range-extender cells hold the key to its success. The range-extender cells are anode-free, which eliminates the need for graphite and anode-making machinery, in contrast to the normal cells, which employ relatively ordinary lithium iron phosphate cathodes and graphite anodes.
The current iteration of range-extender cells uses cathodes constructed of nickel, cobalt, and manganese while the lithium-rich manganese nickel cathodes are still being developed. As opposed to current rates, which are estimated to be between $100 and 110 per kWh, ONE claims it can reduce the cost of those cells in mass production by $50 per kilowatt-hour by doing away with the anode.
“We are thrilled to be working with BMW to demonstrate our Gemini long-range battery technology to consumers,” said Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and CEO of ONE. “As EV adoption grows, drivers are learning that real-world conditions can significantly reduce the performance of their batteries. Common situations like maintaining highway speeds, winter temperatures, climbing mountains, towing, or a combination of all four things present challenges to electric vehicles. We plan to pack twice as much energy into batteries, so EVs can easily handle long-distance driving in real-world conditions.”
“We are well-positioned to incorporate ONE’s IP into BMW’s SAV line,” said Jürgen Hildinger, BMW Group New Technologies Head of High Voltage Storage. “We are confident that given economic viability, this can lead to commercial opportunities and strategies to integrate ONE’s battery technologies into models of our future BEV product line-up.”
