BatteroTech Features High Specific Energy and Fast-charging with Large-format Cylindrical Cells through “Mercury” Technology

Technological innovations in power batteries shall keep abreast of the ever-changing market demands in the rapidly growing new energy industry. Large-format cylindrical cells can balance the large capacity and fast charging features and relieve user anxiety caused by the poor range and long charging time of passenger cars through edges of standardized size and wide universality.

Empowered by multiple strengths, large-format cylindrical power cells have been recognized by automobile OEMs such as Tesla and BMW. This breathes life into the new energy industry with refreshing “trends” and engages the upstream and downstream links of the battery industrial chains in China and abroad to tightly build their presence and bolster innovations of large-format cylindrical cells in the materials, processing, equipment, and other aspects.

The synergy across the industrial chain realizes the technology breakthrough enabled by the high yield rate, high congruency, and high standardization of large-format cylindrical cells. Large-format cylindrical cells shall be favored by lots of battery makers upon a future breakthrough in the production link.

BatteroTech has introduced its BTL large-format cylindrical cells built based on its “Mercury” technology in response to such demands. Formats such as 4680, 4695, 46105, and 46120 under the 46-series are promoted as flagship offerings.

“Mercury”, known as Shuixing or Chenxing in Chinese, has its origin back in ancient Europe where people named this fastest planet after Mercury, the god of travelers and transporters in Roman mythology who won by his lightning speed. The fusion of Chinese and foreign tales and myths with modern technology by BatteroTech applies a “speediness” meaning to “Mercury” technology and thus attests to advanced battery performance.

BTL large-format cylindrical cells are mainly matched with the application context of passenger vehicles and feature high capacity and fast charging which enable the cell energy density to reach 280Wh/kg and fast charge the vehicle within 15 minutes at the same time. Such impressive performance relieves user anxiety in charging time and range in a targeted manner.

BatteroTech uses multidimensional resistance reduction, and air-breathing electrolyte supplementing technology, and imports stable and cost-effective high-nickel layered cathode materials to lengthen the cycle life and increase the energy density of large-cylindrical cells to improve the performance.   

BatteroTech safeguards the comprehensive safety of large-format cylindrical cells with dual support in the battery cell and system. The major components of the battery cells are enclosed by the AAS method, mitigating gas generation. A robust safety wall for the cylindrical cell system has been forged by BatteroTech with the help of side impact safety, bottom ball impact safety, thermoelectric separation, and inhibition of thermal propagation.

PART.1 Flawless “Mercury” Technology: Maximum Resistance Reduction and Lightning Transmission

The “Mercury” technology reduces the resistance in multiple dimensions based on the BatteroTech “Twin-star” platform and can decrease the internal resistance of regular lithium-ion batteries by 20%. The two-pronged optimization measures in ionic resistance and electronic resistance enable maximum resistance reduction, lightning transmission, and the following performance edges:

► 1. High energy efficiency: improve the energy efficiency by 2% and reduce energy consumption by 1800 kWh throughout the life cycle;

► 2.Superb fast-charging performance: support a range of 400+ km upon a 15-minute charging;

► 3. The temperature rise of the battery cell in fast-charging working conditions is kept below 10℃ for more robust safety performance;

► 4. The battery cell exhibits excellent homogeneity with the temperature difference of the main body of the cell below 5℃ to evade any local deterioration of performance under large temperature differences.

The advanced air-breathing supplementing technology is employed in BTL large-cylindrical cells to mitigate the electrolyte imbalance as required to lengthen the cell life.

The electrolyte storage area is established by SEK technology within the BTL large-format cylindrical battery cells. In practice, the SEK electrolyte storage area releases fresh electrolytes gradually following the breathing frequency as the cycles run, alleviating the capacity diving of cycles caused by electrolyte deficiency in the late stages of cylindrical battery cell cycles.

Meanwhile, fresh electrolytes are progressively released as cycles run as required to keep recovering the destruction of the SEI membrane on the anode surface and supplement electrolytes required for shaping the SEI membrane in the new surface, which ensures stable long-term cycles.

PART.2 BatteroTech “Nickel” Supply Ensured by “Nickel Giant”

The energy density of a single battery cell can be improved by importing high-nickel layered cathode materials under this “Ni (nickel)-centered age”. It is essential to build adequate supply sources of raw materials against global resource competition and trade barriers. Thanks to the steadfast support from Tsingshan Group as a “Nickel Giant”, BatteroTech enjoys the dual strength of source and cost.

Firstly, being the world’s largest stainless steel manufacturer and processor of mineral resources like nickel, Tsingshan Industry connects with global energy resources markets such as Indonesian nickel mines, lithium mines, and salt-lake lithium mines in Argentina to secure sufficient and stable nickel and lithium mine resources. Secondly, the wide presence of Tsingshan Industry across the new energy industrial chain arms BatteroTech offerings with further edges in supply sources and pricing of raw materials.

PART.3 Dual “Shield” for Safety Performance: Supply Battery Cells and System

Notably, importing the regular high-nickel layered cathode incurs gas generation in the battery under different conditions, thus compromising the electrical performance and safety of batteries. The AAS encapsulation method is therefore applied on the surface of cathode particles by BatteroTech to effectively shield the high-nickel layered cathode surface with this uniform and efficient encapsulation layer to shape a quality CEI membrane and lower the possibility of side effects, in order to optimize the long-term life and safety of high-nickel layered cathode.

Four system-level enhancements strengthen the safety performance of the vehicle and battery system besides optimizing the performance at the battery cell level.

► 1. Side impact safety: feature the structural design integrating profile box and plotting polystyrene and provide high bearing and buffer capacity, showing high anti-collision on the side; side strength doubles the national extrusion standard;

► 2. Bottom ball impact safety: reserve a bottom buffer layer below the battery and shield the battery with the steel plate of high strength at the bottom, thus guaranteeing high safety during the bottom ball impact without any leakage of cooling fluid;

► 3. Thermoelectric separation makes highly safe operations: discharge directional pressure at the bottom of each battery cell, and the electrical connection at the top of the battery cell eradicates hazards including short circuits and electric arcs induced by thermal runaway through such thermoelectric separation;

► 4. Thermal propagation inhibition by electronic potting: plot thermal-insulation and fire-retardant polystyrene between cylindrical battery cells as effective inhibition of thermal propagation between battery cells; set a safe and stable pressure-relief path at the box bottom to ensure the timely discharge of exhausts and forestall the thermal accumulation within the battery cells incurred by thermal runaway. 

BTL cylindrical cells secure low internal resistance, prolonged cycle life, high safety, low cost, high energy, high power, and high efficiency as powered by the double support at the levels of the single battery cell and system.

In March 2023, BatteroTech’s project of expanding the production capacity by 45GWh concluded its official signing in Jiashan, scheduling the construction of 16 battery cell production lines as its production capacity planning. It is noted that BatteroTech could quickly plan for mass production in the future by leveraging the standardized production strength of large-format cylindrical cells.

In answer to such demands in power and energy storage scenarios of the new energy market, BatteroTech proactively taps niche areas of passenger vehicles, battery-swap heavy-duty trucks, large-scale energy storage, and residential energy storage. It brings forth a diversified battery portfolio to advance the shift from fossil-fuel vehicles to new energy vehicles and the construction of a new power system. In this sense, the ecological philosophy that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” is further implemented, and clean, safe, and recycling solutions are shaped by BatteroTech, forging a green and intelligent future.