A company named Graphene Manufacturing Group is developing an Aluminum-Graphene battery with very high power output, and good battery life:
Dr Ashok Nanjundan, GMG’s Chief Scientific Officer, said, “This is a real game-changing technology which can offer a real alternative with an interchangeable battery technology for the existing lithium-ion batteries in almost every application with GMG’s Graphene and UQ’s patent-pending aluminium ion battery technology. The current nominal voltage of our batteries is 1.7 volts, and work is being carried out to increase the voltage to directly replace existing batteries and which lead to higher energy densities.”
“The real differentiator about these batteries is their very high power density of up to 7000 watts/kg, which endows them with a very high charge rate. Furthermore, graphene aluminium-ion batteries provide major benefits in terms of longer battery life (over 2000 charge / discharge cycles testing so far with no deterioration in performance), battery safety (very low fire potential) and lower environmental impact (more recyclable),” said Dr Ashok Nanjundan.
GMG will make further disclosures regarding the performance and development of these graphene aluminium ion batteries as the research and development program progresses.
Hmm, it only holds 160 wh/kg. By that point a NIMH battery would hold almost as much energy per pound. For reference a li-ion and high energy LiPo battery is between 225 and 270 wh/kg.
Cool. Ultimately until I can get one and use it, it is in a long list of promising future technologies. It is great that so much investigation is being given to battery science.
Absolutely right, Bob. I don’t know what the hoopla is all about, when the actual measured energy density is hardly more than half that of existing chemistries. I can see where the materials might be cheaper or more readily available. And maybe they have some research in the pipeline that will increase the energy density significantly. But, barring that, I just can’t see any reason for excitement. I seem to remember reading about a sulfur chemistry that would offer greater energy densities, currently close to 400 and maybe being able to reach higher, but I haven’t read about anyone building batteries suitable to incorporate into ePPG. Somebody in Germany has presented a hydrogen-magnesium paste fuel-cell system with impressive energy density, but applying it to ePPG or other electric aircraft is yet another pipe-dream. Nonetheless, we are the dreamers.