Considered Top 2 safest batteries tested by NY State Fire Department & Con Edison. Magnis battery cells tested safer than Tesla-NMC battery storage packs.
It is generally true that LiFePO4, LTO, and BM-LMP batteries demonstrate lower than average temperatures during failure. The temperatures indicated for Pb acid and vanadium redox batteries is the peak heating temperature, as these electrolytes did not demonstrate flammable or exothermic properties as they were tested.
Why Magnis has a massive winner with their cobalt and nickel free technology
Need for cobalt in battery chemistry
At the conference, Gao detailed the role of each metal element in the popular Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) battery system.
Speaking broadly, Gao said that NMC batteries use a larger amount of nickel than any other mineral, and as more of this material is used, the proportion of cobalt and manganese (or aluminium in NCA chemistries) decreases.
In terms of its function, cobalt provides the battery with a good cycle ability, thanks to the tight molecular compound structure it provides in the cathode.
Gao said that while nickel already has a high percentage use, it is gaining in popularity due to its availability and low price. Goa added that another reason that cathode producers are moving towards using more nickel, is that "we are not assured we have enough cobalt".
There is also a common belief that the more nickel used in a cathode, the more energy dense the battery will be. This is not true however, because as nickel is added, overall voltage is decreased and with it power. To counteract this, cobalt must be used. In addition, increasing the proportion of nickel leaves the battery less thermally stable, a property that may be counterbalanced by manganese, a mineral that has no exothermic tendency.
Despite some researchers attempting to find a NMC battery with zero cobalt composition, Gao estimates that at least 10% cobalt must be used in battery cathode chemistry at all times due to safety and battery longevity reasons.
Many batteries today are using what is termed "333" composition, or one third nickel, one third cobalt and one third manganese. Currently the industry is trying to optimise safety, power, performance and price by moving towards more nickel-heavy compositions like 523, 622, and 811, with the first digit representing nickel, second cobalt, and third as manganese.
When you read about all these other battery makers saying cobalt can not be engineered out of a battery and have the same capacity and cycles it shows you how far ahead of the pack Magnis and their partners are.
(20min delay)