Automotive giant Stellantis is teaming up with battery firm Zeta Energy to develop potentially game-changing lithium-sulfur batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
This battery technology is said to have numerous advantages over traditional lithium-ion batteries, including greater range, enhanced performance, improved charging speed and, most importantly, lower battery costs.
In the real world, Stellantis says, this means significantly lighter battery packs with the same usable energy density as today’s lithium-ion batteries.
Furthermore, lithium-sulfur batteries are expected to cost less than half the price per kWh of current lithium-ion units, while fast-charging speeds could potentially be improved by up to 50%, the companies said.
The use of sulphur is said to reduce both production expense and supply-chain risk as it is cost-effective and widely available. There’s an ecological benefit too, as these batteries also make use of methane and other waste materials, and they do not require cobalt, nickel or manganese.
However, there are still hurdles to overcome and lithium-sulphur batteries are only expected to be fitted to Stellantis vehicles by 2030.
By then Stellantis plans to have over 75 fully electric vehicle models on the market internationally, and the company says the new battery type can be manufactured within the existing gigafactory infrastructure.
For the remainder of this decade, Stellantis is following a multi-energy approach, with many of its vehicles being underpinned by its new STLA Medium and STLA large vehicle architectures, which can accommodate petrol and electric powertrains.
“We are very excited to be working with Stellantis on this project,” said Tom Pilette, CEO of Zeta Energy.
“The combination of Zeta Energy’s lithium-sulfur battery technology with Stellantis’ unrivaled expertise in innovation, global manufacturing and distribution can dramatically improve the performance and cost profile of electric vehicles while increasing the supply chain resiliency for batteries and EVs.”
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