Developers Target High-Capacity Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

A consortium of 15 companies, universities and research organizations have formed the Alise Project in Europe to develop and test lithium-sulfur battery technologies for next-generation electrified vehicles. The project is partially funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

By 2019, Alise plans to present a prototype lithium-sulfur system with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg more than twice that of current lithium-ion units. This will enable significantly farther driving ranges for hybrid and all-electric vehicles, the partners note.

In addition to the commercial scale-up of new materials, the partners aim to better understand the electrochemical processes involved in lithium-sulfur technology.

Oxford, England-based Oxis Energy Ltd. will lead the development of the battery's anode, cathode and electrolyte. The company says it already has tested a 325 Wh/kg lithium-sulfur battery.

As part of the four-year program, the Alise partners also will conduct durability and safety tests of lithium-sulfur batteries. The project will culminate with road testing of the new batteries by Volkswagen Group's Seat unit.

Oxis, which was founded in 2005, says it has 64 patents related to lithium-sulfur technologies and another 60 patents pending. It previously has built lithium-sulfur batteries for e-bikes and energy storage applications.