The vast majority of our portable electronics and the new wave of electric transportation are powered by lithium batteries. Texas-based startup Group1 has developed a more sustainable alternative and has now launched the world’s first 18650 potassium-ion battery.
Group1 was founded in 2021 by battery technology experts, including Leigang Xue, who currently serves as Chief Product Officer but was previously employed by 2019 Nobel Prize winner and battery pioneer Dr. John Goodenough in his lab at the University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of the Li-ion battery.
It was here in the lab that Dr. Xue invented the company’s Potassium Prussian White (KBW) cathode material, which is reportedly the key development that will enable the production of the “safer, faster-charging, more efficient and sustainable” potassium-ion battery (KIB).
To produce the KIB cell, KBW pairs a commercial-grade graphite anode with readily available electrolyte formulas and separators; the company also notes that the new batteries are notably deficient in critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper.
“As our transition away from fossil fuels accelerates, demand for lithium-ion batteries is growing rapidly, and our lithium supplies will soon be unable to meet this demand,” CEO Alexander Gira said when the company emerged from stealth in 2022. “Group1 and potassium-ion batteries could provide a viable alternative to fill this supply gap.”
Group1 notes that potassium is a thousand times more abundant than lithium and the KBW cathode is produced using sustainable processes at low temperature.
Development began with a small coin cell battery, then progressed to a pouch cell format, and now the world's first 18650 KIB has been introduced. This format should mean relatively easy deployment to EV manufacturers and potential use in power banks and portable gadgets, for what it promises to be “the best combination of performance, safety and cost compared to LiFePO4 (LFP) based Li-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries”.
The new cells operate at 3.7 volts and reportedly exceed performance expectations, demonstrating a “practical path to achieve a gravimetric energy density of 160-180 Wh/kg.” While this is on par with typical LFP packs currently on the market, it still falls short of the next-generation CATL Shenxing Plus cells, which top out at 205 Wh/kg. In a direct performance comparison, it falls short of, for example, lithium batteries in the lab and even the 4680 cells found in Tesla’s electric vehicles.
Group1 has sent samples to “major tier 1 OEMs” and battery cell manufacturers, aiming for “widespread adoption of this transformative technology” in the very near future.
Source: Group1