News about Jeff Dahn's current battery research https://electrek.co/2019/02/01/tesla-patent-battery-cell/?fbclid=IwAR0dr4N9bVUJbP3apjQEh76tBwNfD-rFKawCqq-R11dwjmNy-2atycLxLA0
Here is a piece of significant news unlike all those that abound on the Internet announcing the imminent emergence of new battery chemistry to replace lithium-ion. You know, pure silicone, solid-state, lithium-air, sodium-ion, etc ... It seems each week brings us news of a so-called "breakthrough".
Then, there is rarely a piece of news like this that lifts the veil a little on the research being done by a star of the industry.
Jeff Dahn is not anyone. The researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax is a world leader in the field with decades of research under his belt.
I was fortunate to hear two of his presentations at the Battery Seminar in Fort Lauderdale in 2016 and 2017. He speaks humbly, does not do bullshit. He reiterates that there is no Moore's Law that applies to the battery industry, that scientists do not quite understand the repercussions in a system of a change of material. What did Jeff Dahn do 3 years ago when he was at the helm of the 3M Research Chair? He was working on finding ways to improve the current technology and lower its cost of production.
What was he doing in 2017 when he was now head of the Tesla Research Chair? He was working on finding ways to improve the current technology and lower its cost of production.
What is he doing now, 2 years later, still the head of the Tesla Research Chair? He is working on finding ways to continue improving energy density, charge time, durability and lower the cost of production of current technology.
The first lithium-ion chemistry was invented 40 years ago and marketed by Sony, years later, in 1991. Since then, new chemistries have been added but they are still a variation on the same technology.
The lithium-ion battery industry continues to increase energy density by 5 to 7 percent and lower its production costs by 15 to 20 percent a year. It seems its been like this since 2010, at least.
This news also indicates that Jeff Dahn is working with pure natural graphite anodes, which was not the case in 2016 and 2017. This is in line with news from the industry but also from graphite market specialists. Manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries are substituting more synthetic for natural, which impacts the market of natural graphite whose consumption and prices are on the rise.