Li-S Energy Archives - Energy Source & Distribution

Li-S Energy launches battery production facility in Victoria

Nadia Howland — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 23:31:01 +0000

Li-S Energy has celebrated the official opening of its 2MWh Battery Cell Production Facility in Geelong, Victoria, attended by Federal Minister for Industry and Science the Hon. Ed Husic MP and Federal MP for Corangamite the Hon. Libby Coker.

During the launch, Minister Husic announced Li-S Energy had been awarded an Industry Growth Program (IGP) Commercialisation and Growth Grant of $1.7 million to develop Australia’s first lithium foil production facility.

Li-S Energy is an Australian company, commercialising unique Australian IP from Deakin University for lithium sulfur and lithium metal batteries, which are far lighter than the comparable lithium-ion batteries. The batteries offer key performance advantages where weight is critical, such as in drones, electric aviation and defence applications.

The new state-of-the-art production facility is the largest of its kind in Australia, installed inside Australia’s largest battery dry room. Built at a cost of over $10 million, the facility spans the entire production process from creating and coating cathode powders to final cell fabrication and testing.

With the support of the IGP Grant announced by Minister Husic, Li-S Energy plans to extend beyond its cell manufacturing capability to produce high-quality lithium foils and laminates from lithium metal ingots.

Lithium metal foil is used as the anode for both lithium sulfur and lithium metal batteries, but current imported supply has limited quality and is not optimised for Li-S cells. This will be a new sovereign manufacturing capability for Australia, reducing supply chain risk and increasing the value of Australia’s advanced battery material exports.

Li-S Energy CEO Dr Lee Finniear said, “Australia currently produces 52% of the world’s lithium ore, yet much of this is exported without adding additional value.

“With global demand for lithium metal foil forecast to reach US$51 billion by 2032, Australia has a unique opportunity to capitalise on this emerging market to produce lithium foils here, adding value here, before exporting this high-value product to global markets.”

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Li-S Energy wins $1.35M grant for ‘dawn to dusk’ drone

Nadia Howland — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 21:00:35 +0000

Brisbane-based ASX-listed battery company Li-S Energy has been awarded a grant of just over $1.35 million from the Commonwealth Government as part of the Emerging Aviation Technology Partnerships (EATP) program.

The purpose of the grant is to enable Li-S Energy, in partnership with Australian companies V-TOL Aerospace and HaloCell, to develop a drone that integrates Li-S’ next-generation batteries and advanced solar cells that can be deployed from ‘dawn to dusk’ without landing or recharging.

Li-S Energy CEO Lee Finniear said, “This is an exciting opportunity for Li-S Energy, working with our partners V-TOL Aerospace and HaloCell, to demonstrate how our advanced, lightweight lithium sulfur and lithium metal batteries can extend UAV flight times and mission capability. The collaboration is targeting the development of a family of surveillance drones powered by Li-S Energy batteries.”

V-TOL Aerospace managing director Mark Xavier said, “Winning this grant is a significant acknowledgement by Government that the work V-TOL, Li-S Energy and HaloCell are conducting is of national importance. This exciting opportunity, will enable our sovereign technology collaboration to design, develop & manufacture a family of world leading energy sustainable drones.”

Using Australian-patented IP from Deakin University, Li-S Energy’s advanced batteries are far lighter than lithium-ion, making them ideal for drones, electric aircraft and defence applications.

The company’s technology is well advanced, and it is currently finalising commissioning a Phase 3, 2MWh production facility in Geelong that is one of the most sophisticated battery production and testing facilities in the country.

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Australian next-gen batteries pass critical safety tests

Nadia Howland — Thu, 02 May 2024 00:08:40 +0000

ASX-listed battery technology company Li-S Energy Limited says its third-generation semi-solid-state lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery cells have successfully passed a rigorous series of nail penetration tests with the results exceeding both the civilian and US military performance standards.

The company has completed a comprehensive series of nail penetration tests using multi-layer 2.5Ah lithium sulfur cells built on the company’s Phase 2 micro-production line at Geelong in Victoria.

A total of 28 cells were tested, with the cells exceeding the nail penetration test requirements of the civilian UL2271 and UL2580 standards and the United States Military Performance Specifications MIL-PRF-32383/4X requested by the company’s aerospace partners.

Nail penetration tests involve penetrating the battery cell with a steel nail under precise conditions in a blast-proof test chamber. The purpose is to determine what happens to a battery cell if it is damaged, for example in an accident or if there is an internal short circuit.

Nail penetration is one of a suite of safety tests that are scheduled to be undertaken as $10 million Li-S’s Phase 3 production facility s commissioned, and these early results from the smaller Phase 2, 2.5Ah cells illustrate one of the key safety benefits of our Li-S cell technology.

Li-S Energy CEO Dr Lee Finniear said there was a range of benefits for the company’s partners.

“Amid growing public concern about the safety of lithium-ion batteries and battery fires, delivering a safe battery is vitally important,” he said.

“In our target markets of drones, electric aircraft and defence, a battery fire could be catastrophic, and these results show our partners that Li-S Energy battery cells are safe when penetrated and continue to work even after being damaged.”

Mark Xavier, CEO of V-TOL Aerospace, an Li-S Energy technology partner, said that these results will have a major impact on the civilian and military drone industry.

“The ability to safely and reliably operate and transport drone technology is heavily reliant on battery stability. The Li-S Energy GEN3 cell nail penetration test results indicate a far better risk profile than current battery technology which I believe will save lives and improve operational performance. We are looking forward to trialling the GEN3 cells in the coming months as part of our collaboration program with Li-S Energy.”

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Li-S Energy announces plan for 200MWh battery facility

Nadia Howland — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 22:54:20 +0000

Australian battery technology company Li-S Energy has started preliminary works on a new 200MWh plant that will be a precursor to a 10GWh+ gigafactory.

With the company just weeks away from commissioning its new 2MWh battery facility at Geelong, Li-S Energy chair Ben Spincer told shareholders of the company’s plans for a new 200MWh plant at the company’s AGM this week.

“As we approach completion of our Phase 3 facility we are also turning our attention to the longer term. We have developed plans for a 200MWh or Phase 4 facility in the coming years, that will be able to produce commercial quantities of batteries for the first time and generate significant revenue,” Spincer said.

“This is a significant standalone project that is not tied to the location of our Phase 3 facilities in Geelong and we anticipate leveraging support from governments and partners as we progress our plans further.

“Into the long-term we continue to anticipate lithium sulfur gigafactories on the horizon. However, it is increasingly evident that that scaling to a gigafactory is best served by partnering with existing battery manufacturers, licensing our technology and supplying the nanomaterials critical to production of our batteries.”

Li-S Energy is working with Deakin University to commercialise over a decade of research in the development of lithium-sulfur and lithium-metal batteries that utilise boron nitride nanotubes or BNNT to improve performance and cycle life.

The company has also engaged other respected leaders in battery research to support elements of its commercialisation program, such as The University of Queensland and the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany.

In April, Li-S Energy announced its new 20-layer Gen3 lithium sulfur battery, which uses semi-solid state technology to improve volumetric energy density to a level comparable to current lithium ion batteries, while maintaining gravimetric energy density in excess of 400Wh/kg.

The company’s Gen3 system will be the cornerstone for production at its Phase 3 facility.

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