The EU-funded HYDRA project, a collaboration between European industrial partners, research institutes, and universities, has made significant strides in battery technology, focusing on developing sustainable and high-performance batteries.
Over the past four years, the HYDRA project has explored various aspects of electric car batteries, from advanced material composition to optimizing battery life and improving production processes. The goal? To create batteries that meet the increasing demands for performance, safety, and environmental friendliness.
“High-performance batteries extend EV driving range by increasing the amount of energy that a battery cell stores. There are two ways that battery designers can tweak materials to do that: raising the working potential of the cathode to increase the voltage of the cell or increase the amount of charge-carrying lithium ions that a material can contain. HYDRA does both,” says Senior Scientist Simon Clark at SINTEF.
Sustainable materials for a greener future
The global battery industry relies heavily on critical materials like lithium, cobalt, and manganese. Most high-performance lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries today use cobalt, which is rare and toxic.
HYDRA has designed a new generation of Li-ion batteries using more sustainable materials, pushing the limits of high-performance batteries.
By focusing on high-voltage nickel-rich cathodes, HYDRA has created battery cells that are smaller and lighter while storing the same amount of energy. This innovation is a significant step towards solving sustainability challenges and reducing reliance on rare earth elements.
“These characteristics are crucial for increasing the driving range of electric cars,” says Clark.
Facts about the Hydra project
The goal of HYDRA has been to develop more efficient, durable and recyclable batteries. The project has demonstrated how interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced research methods can promote innovation in battery technology.
Key project results:
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Development of advanced materials for anodes and cathodes, improving energy density and battery life.
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Development of sustainable and low-cost manufacturing processes.
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Development of powerful, open-source battery design simulation software.
Duration: 4 years
Financing: EU
Website: h2020hydra.eu
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 innovation program under grant agreement number: 875527.
Harnessing silicon’s superpower
Most Li-ion batteries today use graphite as the anode material. Graphite stores lithium atoms between its carbon layers during charging. However, silicon can store much more lithium, potentially reducing battery cell weight significantly. The challenge? Silicon expands so much when storing lithium that it can break apart, limiting the battery’s lifespan.
“Squeezing so much lithium into the silicon makes the material expand so much, it can pop like a piece of popcorn. This severely limits how many times the battery can be charged, says Clark”
HYDRA has pioneered a method of blending silicon with graphite to create a hybrid electrode with high capacity and good cycling stability. By improving the material structure and using novel binders, HYDRA’s prototype cells store twice as much charge per mass compared to pure graphite electrodes.
Fast-tracking development with digital tools
The HYDRA project uses a methodical approach to testing batteries, repeating processes multiple times. They also use BattMo, a modelling tool developed by SINTEF, to create detailed digital representations of battery structures and performance. This allows researchers to predict battery behaviour and optimize designs without building physical prototypes each time.
“By using advanced digital tools, we can accelerate development and optimize battery technology much faster than traditional methods,” says Clark.
From the lab to the road
The results from the HYDRA project will now help accelerate the growth of the battery industry in Europe. Industrial partners will build on these results in their business plans, and a wealth of research data will be available to the scientific community to continue the momentum in other EU-funded projects. HYDRA partners have already launched related research initiatives, including SINTEF-led projects like IntelLiGent and DigiBatt.
Learn more about HYDRA and next generation electric car batteries in this podcast episode:
