Battery Generation

In this podcast episode, we’re joined by Dr. Billy Wu, Associate Professor (Reader) and Director of Research at the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London. Billy shares his compelling vision for transforming how Europe educates and develops battery talent to tackle the complex challenges of the energy transition.

In this episode, we dive deep into the high-stakes world of battery venture funding with one of the field’s most respected voices — Dr. Billy Wu. As an expert in battery technologies and a trusted technical due diligence advisor for venture capital firms, Billy Wu occupies a unique vantage point at the intersection of cutting-edge battery science and investment strategy.

In this episode of the "Battery Generation", we dive deep into the world of AI-powered battery research with Dr. Mohsen Sotoudeh, a leading scientist working at the cutting edge of theoretical modeling for next-generation battery materials.

Before purchasing a second-hand battery-electric vehicle, every buyer and seller asks themselves how the battery state of health (SoH) can be determined as precisely as possible.

How battery modeling saves unnecessary investments and time! Today, we are talking to Gavin White (CEO About:Energy), a #battery software company from London. About:Energy operates an interesting business model!

Battery manufacturers around the world have been announcing solid-state cells for its groundbreaking characteristics. Yes, we see multiple outstanding (almost-) solid-state lab cells (some of which are already on the market!) but the high expectations have never really met reality: Not a single car manufacturer is currently placing all-solid-state cells in their EVs. So, whats taking them so long?

EV sales in India surpassed 150,000 units for the first time in May 2023. An outstanding annual growth of 64% compared to last year 2022. Market observers as well report a sharp rise in electric two-wheeler sales due to national subsidies and an expanding charging infrastructure.

Before purchasing an electric vehicle, all eyes are on the battery: Among first questions concerning range anxiety and charging speed, most people ask how much loss of capacity the battery will suffer over its average useful life. In this podcast, we talk about (the very normal) degradation of batteries, state of health (SOH) measurements and the research of predicting a battery's lifetime.

Battery research is mainly about the chemistry, physics or mathematic modelling? Wrong! Today, it is often up to engineers whether an electric vehicle can go for more than 1.000 kilometers, charge in 15 minutes... or not! Modules and packs can be constructed in many different ways. Nowadays, automotive OEMs get to choose from hundreds of different parameters to reach a desired battery design.

In Europe, there are multiple companies trying to build up their own charging networks for future EV mobility. The industry has already formed continental-wide alliances consisting of electricity providers who run very different approaches of how to set up the charging infrastructure. Some focus on public fast charging stations at motorways, some on inner city street lights, some on private AC wallboxes.

In our fouth episode of "Battery Generation" we talk to Dr. Doron Myersdorf (StoreDot), an Israeli developer of lithium-ion batteries. StoreDot publically tested an innovative EV battery material in April 2022: A corporate video shows a standard pouch cell's capability of charging 100 miles in 5 minutes, and 200 miles in 10 minutes.

In the second episode of "Battery Generation" we talk to Prof. Stefano Passerini, an Italian chemist. He has been researching sodium as a sustainable battery material for more than 10 years now. We asked him to display the possibility of sodium ion batteries (SIBs) replacing nowadays lithium-based energy storage systems in EVs and stationary batteries.

This podcast is on a mission to find batteries that are powerful, safe, sustainable, long-living, untoxic, as light and small as possible, cheap and easy to recycle. Is that even possible? Let's find out!