LG Power Resolution has teamed up with United States startup South 8 to collectively develop space-rated lithium-ion batteries, the Korean battery large mentioned Wednesday.
LG Power Resolution and South Applied sciences signed a “strategic partnership for aerospace battery cell analysis and improvement.” The settlement marks LG Power Resolution’s foray into the aerospace battery market, which requires applied sciences that may face up to harsh environments together with excessive low temperatures.
Based in 2013, South 8 makes a speciality of electrolyte, a key materials for rechargeable batteries. It was acknowledged as one in all TIME journal’s Finest Innovations of 2024 with its world’s first liquefied fuel electrolyte, LiGas.
LiGas replaces standard liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion cells, enabling ultra-low temperature operation all the way down to minus 60 levels Celsius, considerably outperforming standard liquid electrolytes that wrestle under minus 20 levels Celsius. LiGas batteries additionally has shorter burning time in comparison with standard lithium-ion batteries.
LiGas additionally has the potential to drastically enhance battery security beneath bodily or electrical shocks. When shocks are detected, the liquid solvent contained in the battery quickly evaporates, decreasing the cell temperature and expelling the vaporized electrolyte. This course of successfully turns the cell right into a nonfunctional dummy cell, vastly lowering the danger of thermal incidents, LG Power Resolution mentioned.
The 2 firms’ cooperation is a part of an aerospace initiative involving power storage answer large KULR Know-how Group and the U.S. Nationwide Aeronautics and House Administration to develop cold-temperature battery options for deep house missions. LG Power Resolution and South 8 are additionally taking part into this venture.
As a part of their partnership, LG Power Resolution will help the design, testing and analysis of battery cells. South 8 Applied sciences will then manufacture enhanced battery cells utilizing its LiGas know-how.
The cells can be built-in into KULR’s One House battery structure platform, delivering efficiency optimized for excessive circumstances in house missions.
“The liquefied fuel electrolyte know-how basically addresses the long-standing problems with battery efficiency degradation in excessive chilly environments,” LG Power Resolution Chief Know-how Officer Kim Je-young mentioned. “We anticipate that this know-how will unlock unprecedented prospects to pioneer new merchandise and purposes together with the house.”
LG Power Resolution first partnered with South 8 by its Startup Problem Program in 2019 and has maintained energetic collaboration since. In 2024, the businesses signed a joint improvement settlement and started the event of the liquefied fuel electrolyte-based batteries.
