The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Metal Tech News - March 25, 2024
Alongside the AERES electrolyte screening system, Wright's projects include Air-1, a battery for electric airplanes and unmanned aircraft systems, and Marine-1, a battery for electric container ships and ferries with low discharge rates to enable longer duration voyages.
A collaboration between Wright Electric and Columbia University has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy via the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program for a groundbreaking ultra-energy-dense and lightweight aluminum battery brought about by a novel artificial intelligence electrolyte screening system.
Founded in 2016, Wright Electric has a history of building electric motors, generators, propulsion systems and inverters for aerospace and defense applications. The launch of Wright Batteries expands upon expertise in lightweight systems with the goal of producing batteries with 1,000 watt-hours per kilogram (wh/kg) pack density.
In late 2023, after years of stealth development, Wright launched its proprietary batteries with four times the energy density of today's average lithium-ion electric vehicle battery.
The company says such lightweight batteries would enable the electrification of hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as transportation and mining.
ARPA-E's PROPEL-1K (Pioneering Railroad, Oceanic and Plane Electrification with 1K energy storage systems) program funding recipients are selected to support development of emission-free, high-power, and lightweight energy storage solutions to electrify domestic aircraft, railroad, and ships – and the Wright-Columbia partnership fits the bill.
"ARPA-E is continuing to catalyze entire new industries with the PROPEL-1K program," said Wright Electric CEO Jeff Engler. "We are excited to work with Columbia University to push the boundaries of battery technology and to contribute to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions."
Wright Electric has already teamed up with the likes of NASA, Y Combinator, and the U.S. Department of Defense on projects to decarbonize transportation with electric airplanes and ships.
"When I founded Wright, the best vehicle batteries had an energy density below 250 wh/kg," said Engler. "Now several large manufacturers are advertising cells at double that capacity, and we have visibility into new battery chemistries that could get us to our target of 1,000 wh/kg."
In late 2023, after years of stealth development, Wright launched its proprietary batteries with four times the energy density of today's average lithium-ion electric vehicle battery.
Aluminum-air boasts one of the highest energy densities of all batteries, producing electricity from the reaction of aluminum with oxygen. This type of chemistry has historically encountered issues with rechargeability – once the aluminum anode is consumed by the chemical reaction, the battery will no longer produce electricity.
It is possible to mechanically recharge the battery with new anodes made from recycling the hydrated aluminum oxide, which drives a high anode cost. Clogging from reaction products and byproduct removal when using traditional electrolytes are also issues.
To overcome this, the battery under development by Wright and Columbia University uses a 3D design to improve the contact between anode and cathode, swappable aluminum anodes that allow for mechanical recharging, and a system that circulates the electrolyte, preventing the accumulation of reaction products within the cell structure.
The right chemical composition of such batteries would enable the electrification of hard-to-decarbonize transportation sectors, including small passenger aircraft (the majority of aerospace carbon emissions are from aircraft with 100 or more passengers) and container ships. A plane with aluminum batteries has upwards of eight times the range potential than aircraft powered by lithium-ion batteries, with significantly lower weight.
Additionally, Wright's Automated Experimentation with Radical Electrochemical Systems (AERES) technology uses a combination of systematic screening and open-source hardware to enable robots to rapidly evaluate and discover ideal electrolyte formulations for these batteries.
"It is straightforward to construct an aluminum battery with household ingredients," said Engler. "But it is hard to make one that has the efficiency and high-power output necessary for vehicles."
Wright's awarded funds are to "support development of an ultra-energy-dense aluminum battery and novel artificial intelligence system" and will support the project in three parts:
• Air-1, an elevated temperature battery with high discharge rates for electric airplanes and unmanned aircraft systems, adhering to aviation safety standards.
• Marine-1, an aluminum-air battery that uses low-cost and abundant materials designed for electric container ships and ferries with low discharge rates to enable longer-duration voyages.
• Refine the AERES system for screening chemical compositions, applying machine learning techniques (similar to those used in high throughput drug development) to find relevant solutions.
Through this work, Wright and Columbia University intend to overcome the final hurdle to achieving 1,000 wh/kg batteries that will power lighter and longer-range electric vehicles, planes, drones, ships, and mining equipment.
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