A123’s Advanced Material Development for Vehicle Electrification: …cii-resource.com/cet/FBC-05-04/Presentations/BAT/Johnson... · 2017. 3. 24. · A123 Systems A123 Systems is

©2016 A123 Systems LLC . All rights reserved.

Derek C. Johnson, PhD VP, Global R&D International Battery Seminar & Exhibit 2017’s Lithium-Ion Development & Commercialization March 20-23, 2017

A123’s Advanced Material Development for Vehicle Electrification: Low and High Voltage Application Approaches


• Company update

• Low Voltage Applications + Market view

+ Advanced R&D

• High Voltage Applications + Strategic Direction

+ Advanced R&D

+ R&D Collaborations

• Summary & questions

Agenda


• Corporate headquarters: Livonia, Michigan

• Approximately 2,000 employees worldwide

• >15m cells produced in 2015

• Market leading technologies, investor in R&D with

400+ patents and patent applications

Corporate Profile

A123 Systems

A123 Systems is a worldwide leader in providing complete lithium-ion energy storage solutions that offer world-class performance tailored to applications in the transportation, industrial, and consumer markets.


Global Headquarters, Design and Manufacturing • Livonia, Michigan Coating, Cell, and Systems Plants • Livonia, Michigan • Romulus, Michigan • Hangzhou, China • Changzhou, China • Ostrava, Czech Rep.

A123 Systems Global Locations

Wanxiang A123 System Asia, Co Ltd • Hangzhou, China • Coating, Cell and Systems Plants • R&D Center (High Energy Focused)

European Sales and Engineering

• Stuttgart, Germany

Research and Development • Waltham and Hopkinton, Massachusetts • Romulus and Livonia, Michigan • Hangzhou, China

4

Livonia, MI

Waltham, MA

Changzhou, China

Stuttgart, Germany

Romulus, MI

Hangzhou, China

Ostrava, Czech Rep.


Mass production awarded contracts Transportation OEM Customer Applications

EV

PHEV

HEV

µ/mild hybrid

12V-48V

2015 2018

TBA TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA TBA TBA

TBA TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA


• Company update A123


+ Advanced R&D


+ Advanced R&D



Agenda

©2016 A123 Systems LLC . All rights reserved. 7

Low voltage hybrids are a cost effective solution for higher volume impact on fuel economy requirements

OEM Portfolio Planning A Balanced Strategy for Fuel Economy

Fuel Economy Requirements

EV

HEV

Micro-hybrid

sales volume

Mild hybrid


Low Voltage Electrification Steps

Fuel Economy/ Emissions Impact

©2016 A123 Systems LLC . All rights reserved. ©2016 A123 Systems LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential.

Advanced R&D: Focusing on Reducing Cell Impedance


Progression of LFP Cell Technology

• LiSB and 48 V applications require highest possible power

+ Impedance reductions must be achieved in all three cell components

+ Highest reductions are realized with advanced LFP and customized electrolyte

+ Impedance reductions must be sustained through a wide temperature range

• Lower cell impedance results in higher fuel economy savings

• UltraPhosphate outperforms current Pb-acid technologies with lower total cost of ownership

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Anode Electrolyte Cathode Cell

Ce

ll Im

pe

dan

ce (

% o

f N

ano

Ph

osp

hat

e)

Impedance Reduction Roadmap NanoPhosphate

UltraPhosphate

Next Generation

Anode, electrolyte, and cathode improvements have resulted in development of low impedance cells over a wide temperature

10


12V Starter Battery Cold Crank Breakthrough

A123 has surpassed lead-acid cold crank performance at low temperature, erasing the barriers to mass market adaption

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

lead-acid AGM12V 60Ah

A123 Gen212V 60Ah

A123 Gen312V 60Ah

Cold Cranking Amps (7.5V minimum for 10 seconds*)

-18degC

-30degC

* Tested to BS EN 50342-1

NanoPhosphate

ULTRAPHOSPHATE


• Company update A123


+ Advanced R&D


+ Advanced R&D



Agenda


High Voltage Battery Systems

• China’s surge in high voltage sales for PHEV and EV has propelled it past the U.S.

• A123 has established high energy programs and are steadily expanding

+ Successfully penetrated Chinese and Western OEMs

+ Significant investment in high-Ni NMC and advanced anode technology

+ Global product energy density surpasses 230 Wh/kg

• A123’s scientific effort on high energy materials has begun producing unique IP at the material and cell component level

+ Technology roadmap achieves world-class performance

+ Development roadmap has been validated with several western OEMs

+ Development effort is now roughly evenly split between NMC and LFP

Strategic Direction


• Strategy + Focus on improvements at the component

level (anode, cathode, and separator/electrolyte) that result in an increase in cell energy density

+ Coordinated efforts from all Global R&D locations

• Technology Node Approach + 180 Wh/kg is A123’s first Global NMC

technology (In Production)

+ 230 Wh/kg has a high nickel-NMC cathode (SOP 2017)

+ 250 Wh/kg has A123’s advanced anode technology coupled with a high nickel-NMC cathode (In Progress)

+ 300 Wh/kg is the foundation for 350 Wh/kg and 400 Wh/kg initiatives

14

High Energy Density Technology Development

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1 2 3 4

Gra

vim

etri

c En

erg

y D

en

sity

(W

h/k

g)

Vo

lum

etri

c En

erg

y D

en

sity

(W

h/L

)

Volumetric

Gravimetric

2016 2017 2019 2020

18

0 W

h/k

g

23

0 W

h/k

g

25

0 W

h/k

g

30

0 W

h/k

g

37

0 W

h/L

45

0 W

h/L

60

0 W

h/L

65

0 W

h/L

Technology Nodes are Flexible to Meet Customer Performance Specifications at Market Driven Cost

©2016 A123 Systems LLC All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential. ©2016 A123 Systems LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential.

230 Wh/kg Technology Node


• Key Program Objectives

+ Energy density 230 Wh/kg

+ Cycle life 2000 @ RT & 1200 @ 45 C

+ Power density 2000 W/kg (EV cell)

+ Abuse testing GBT standards

+ Transferred to Production

• Key Program Achievements

+ Advanced electrolyte

– 4.4 V charging while maintaining good cycle life

+ NMC(532) cathode with tailored morphology

– Abuse tolerant

– Minimizes degradation

+ Separator

– Optimized ceramic morphology

– Novel ceramic binder for coating

+ Abuse Testing EUCAR ≤ 4


Accelerated Development will allow for late 2017 SOP

75.00%

80.00%

85.00%

90.00%

95.00%

100.00%

105.00%

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Cycle Number

Build #2

Build #1

Test Conditions Cycle Performance

45°C cycle # 2100

45°C 1C/2C 80.0%

23°C cycle # 1467

23°C 1C/2C 94.1%

©2016 A123 Systems LLC All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential. ©2016 A123 Systems LLC. All rights reserved. Proprietary and confidential.

250 Wh/kg (600 Wh/L) Technology Node


≥ 250 Wh/kg

Platform 1

+ NMC622

- Si/

Graphite

Platform 2

+ NMC811

-Graphite

Platform 3

+ NMC622

- Alloy/

Graphite


Multiple technology platforms

Diversified routes to mitigate risk and adapt to ever-changing market trends allows A123 to have a technical solution to fit customer needs

Strategic partners for technology boost

NMC622 NMC811 Alloy/ Graphite

Tailored Electrolyte


Current Status of 250 Wh/kg Technology

Room temperature cycle life exceeds high energy density requirements

Rate performance up to 2C can be maintained through electrolyte optimization

Propriety abuse tolerate technologies are being incorporated to ensure EUCAR ratings ≤ 4

Average EOL ~2049 cycles

80%

10%

30%

50%

70%

90%

110%

0 2 4 6

% d

is. c

ap (

%)

C Rate

% Capacity vs C rate

Cycle Number

≥ 260 Wh/kg ≥ 260 Wh/kg

Electrolyte Optimization


• Highlights for A123’s Cell Safety Enhancement

+ Cathode – Active material coating and bulk doping

– Electrode modification

+ Electrolyte – Specialized (Patent pending) formulations that:

1) Are inactive under “normal” operating voltage range

2) Retards thermal runaway during overcharge conditions (Activates under voltage conditions above the “normal range”)

3) Increases the flash point and combustion temperature of the electrolyte

+ State-of-the-art separator technology

20

Incorporating Abuse Tolerance Technologies

Cell safety enhancement technologies are critical to meet Abuse tolerance goals


• Goal + Confine the “abuse tolerant” material to

the surface of Ni-rich NMC cathodes

+ Demonstrate that this approach will result in better abuse performance

• Accomplishments + SEM imaging demonstrates the technique

will focus the “abuse tolerant” material on the NCM surface

• Challenges + Flexibility and rapid deployment to

production

21

Cathode Modification

Safety Technologies

Surface modification can be an effective route to mitigating the release of thermal energy during an

abuse event.

NMC(532)

Abuse Tolerant material


Cathode Modification

Safety Technologies: Nail Penetration

Minimizing “abuse tolerant” material at the surface to impart additional abuse tolerance at the cell level is proving effective at the cell level


Electrolyte plus Cathode Modification

Safety Technologies: Overcharge

A123’s technologies are also proving effective at the module level

With Safety Technologies

Without Safety Technologies

Fire


• A123 is the technology leader in low voltage applications with it’s UltraPhosphate and engineered electrolyte solutions

• R&D investment is equally distributed between High Power and High Energy technologies

+ High Power – Is focused on impedance reductions at the material and component level

+ High Energy – Development is focused on technologies that enable 300 Wh/kg while providing

the needed safety at the cell and module level

• Strategic partnerships with Argonne National Laboratory and Wildcat Technologies are focused on accelerating high energy technology development

24

Summary


Documents

A123’s Advanced Material Development for Vehicle Electrification: …cii-resource.com/cet/FBC-05-04/Presentations/BAT/Johnson... · 2017. 3. 24. · A123 Systems A123 Systems is