Lithium-ion battery costs have decreased by 75% over the last decade, largely due to small, consistent improvements rather than single breakthroughs. Chaitanya Sharma, founder of Nascent Materials and former Tesla employee, focuses on advancing cathode processing techniques to enhance energy density by 12% and reduce production costs by 30%. The startup recently raised $2.3 million to refine lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) and lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) materials, addressing quality challenges faced by smaller manufacturers, which can lead to significant operational issues like bankruptcy.
In my mind, developing a new exotic chemistry is not really the way that I want to go; I want to develop new ways of making material.
Sharma said that obtaining materials with consistent quality was a challenge at iM3NY, one that contributed to the company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in January.
Nascent's new process could improve energy density of the cathode by up to 12% while costing 30% less to make.
But there's still room for improvement. Sharma noted supply chain inequities impact consistent material quality for smaller players in the battery market.
#lithium-ion-batteries #cost-reduction #battery-technology #manufacturing-innovations #startup-funding
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