Thanks to a unique, interdisciplinary approach to addressing range anxiety due to limited battery life, the Israeli startup has reinvented the EV battery with a breakthrough that could finally leapfrog EVs into the mainstream.

It is no secret that transportation is one of our biggest polluters andcontributors to climate change it is responsible for 20 percent of all carbondioxideemissionsglobally, with the largest majority emitted by road transportation. Despitethis, private carownershipis on the rise; 91.5 percent ofhouseholdsin the US had access to at least one vehicle in 2020, up from 90.82 percentin 2015. But its clear that a sustainable future for travel cannot be dependenton traditional, gasoline-powered vehicles.

Consumers understand the need for a shift to electric vehicles (EVs) 75percent of US driversagree that EVs are the future; but the majority of them dont seem to be readyfor them in the present, as most continue to favor the familiarcombustion engine.

One of the most critical barriers preventing consumers from buying EVs is rangeanxiety the fear of running out of power and not being able to find acharging point. Automakers from Ford and Jaguar Land Rover to Porsche and Tesla are actively working to advance manufacturing and capabilities for EV batteries; but in the meantime, recent Volvo research found that range anxiety was still the topbarrier to purchasing an EV for 58 percent ofdriverswho had never driven an EV.

Hoping to help ease this anxiety is StoreDot anIsraeli EV battery startup that is showcasing the potential ofextra-fast-charging (XFC) battery power to disrupting the EV market. Thanks to aunique, interdisciplinary approach to the issue of battery life, StoreDot hasreinvented the battery with a breakthrough that might leapfrog EVs into themainstream.

In batteries, charge is held in the electrodes the cathodes and anodes. Whensomething is being powered, ions move from anode tocathode; then,when the battery is recharged, ions return to cathode from anode. StoreDots XFCbatteries work by replacing the traditional Li-ion graphite anode withactive-material silicon nanoparticles, which accelerate diffusion. Siliconanodes are absorbent and can accept more lithium ions than graphite, whichcauses faster recharge resulting in more charge and longer battery life.

The surface area where Li-ions can enter a 3D structure of silicon our activematerial is much larger, Doron Myersdorf, CEO and co-founder of StoreDot,told Sustainable Brands. So, imagine the surface area of a footballfield with nanoparticle capabilities, compared to a credit card without it. Thelarger surface area allows for free flow of ions in a safe and fast manner,which is not feasible otherwise.

The breakthrough was inspired by work at Tel AvivUniversity on Alzheimer's disease. There, theyinvestigated peptides in the Amyloid fibrils the brains neural network associated with brain degradation. By artificially synthesising a variety ofmolecules, they demonstrated the potential of organic molecules for energystorage in nanoscale structures.

The number-one problem for adoption of electric vehicles is the speed ofcharging; and I saw a path to change the game using the XFC technology,Myersdorf explains. We identified organic materials and small molecules thatcan be beneficial in storing energy; then, created a large experiment toidentify the most effective materials that can be integrated into the Li ionbatteries.

StoreDots breakthrough was made possible by its interdisciplinary team ofscientists from different academic fields.

The best way to break the limits of what is known in science is the combinationof different disciplines, Myersdorf told us. That way, much of the advancedmethodologies and materials can be synergistically integrated into the design ofthe new battery and thats what enables breakthroughs.

The innovation of combining organic and inorganic molecules can be a longprocess; and it took StoreDot, founded in 2012, almost a decade to materializethe configuration of the battery and materials.

The speed of charge was very limited in traditional graphite-based anodes.StoreDot shows how you can replace the graphite with silicon, with combinedprotection from organic additives and coatings, Myersdorf says. Silicon has 5xenergy compared to graphite; however, it needs to be well controlled in terms ofswelling.

StoreDots reinvented batteries, augmented by organic molecules and optimized byAI, will help advance the shift away from combustion engines to a lesscarbon-filled future. Not only will EVs charge faster, but StoreDot is pushingfor the longevity of EV batteries the company ensures that the batteries canretain 70 percent of their original capacity after 1,700 charging cycles; and itis now developing self-repairing batterycells.

StoreDot, valued at $1.6 billion, has a wide variety ofinvestors includingautomakers VinFast (Vietnamese EV manufacturer) andDaimler, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, the Wertheimerfamily(French billionaires and co-owners of Chanel), BP, Samsung Ventures,Singulariteam and electronics giant TDK.With the solid state battery market estimated to reach $3.4 billion globallyby 2030 at 18 percentCAGR,investments like these are crucial to promote the necessary R&D to meet futuremarket demand.

Last month, Volvo Cars Tech Fund also invested inStoreDot.Volvo Cars was the first established car manufacturer to commit to all-outelectrification,and aims to be a pure electric car company by 2030. This collaboration shouldaccelerate perfection and scaling of StoreDots technology and with it, globalgrowth of EV adoption.

Myersdorf said the Volvo investment opens the access for advanced battery andvehicle teams across the globe, and allows entry into the NorthVolt productionfacility which is part of the Volvo joint ventures for volume battery deliveries.

In the meantime, StoreDot is on track to meet its first milestone, set for2024, to mass-produce anddeliver battery cells that allow for 100 miles of driving after only 5 minutesof charging and by 2028, just 3 minutes.

Published May 12, 2022 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST

Scarlett Buckley is a London-based freelance sustainability writer with an MSc in Creative Arts & Mental Health.

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Meet StoreDot: The Startup That Used Neuroscience to Revolutionize EV Batteries - Sustainable Brands