The race is on to reach net-zero transportation goals, and CleanTechnica recently reported that Swiss-German startup Innolith is helping to drive us toward a cleaner future.
The company, which believes everyone should be able to benefit from electric vehicles (EVs), is on a mission to make electric mobility a universal reality. It just announced its plans to market its newly approved, high-performance I-State battery for EVs.
EVs are inarguably better for the environment than gas-powered cars, but batteries and their production still have a way to go in this department. The I-State battery is Innolith's approach not only to making EVs available to everyone but also to making them even more sustainable.
Mining for materials used in traditional lithium-ion batteries damages the environment and causes pollution. Once made, they are also difficult to recycle, even though new advances are poised to improve that equation.
While the pros may outweigh the cons, the cons are still there. The technology used in the I-State battery reduces those cons by lowering the carbon footprint of an EV battery while also cutting down manufacturing costs and increasing energy density.
The battery is innovative in that it uses an inorganic liquid electrolyte, which allows it to operate at higher voltages than lithium-ion batteries. This further allows the battery to deliver an increase in energy density while also significantly reducing fire safety risks. It also results in improved performance in both low and high temperatures.
The I-State battery uses 20% fewer rare-earth metals per kilowatt-hour than traditional lithium-ion batteries. The battery is also made with 100% locally produced electrolyte, and the electrolyte is recyclable, collectively making the battery more sustainable.
Innolith is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. It was started over 20 years ago by
Dr. Laurent Zinck and Markus Borck, who invented the technology and had a vision of the world's universal electric mobility.
They researched liquid electrolyte technology for 18 years, and in 2019, Innolith's battery technology demonstrated a breakthrough that opened a new path for a host of existing and emerging e-mobility industries.
Innolith made patent applications from 2020-2022. Irish startup Xerotech plans to explore using I-State for applications such as vertical takeoff/landing aircraft as well, Clean Technica reported.
This breakthrough technology is a huge step in making EVs more affordable and sustainable. Transportation is the biggest contributor to toxic planet-warming gases, so the more EVs on the road, the better.
JustAuto reported that aside from lowering EV costs and making them more sustainable, technology based on the battery's platform is in development to provide a longer EV range with 350-400 Wh/kg energy densities.
Konstantin Solodovnikov, CEO of Innolith, told JustAuto, "Conventional Li-ion has served us well for 40 years but has well-known limitations for the future. I-State goes further, costs less and is environmentally more sustainable."
Innolith has also been selected as the winner of the Green Products Awards' Mobility Prize, which acknowledges transformative technologies that assist the global energy transition.
"We are excited about the potential of I-State to further the EV industry and create a cleaner, more sustainable future for all," Solodovnikov said.
After its lengthy testing phase and pilot production, the I-State battery is now commercially available.
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