A New England-based company is planning for its expansion to mean a reduction of one of the most widely reported criticisms for lithium-ion battery packs: fires.
Aspen Aerogels has landed a $670.6 million loan from the U.S. Energy Department to help fund a production site for its unique material in the Peach State, according to a report from the MIT Technology Review.
"This loan is to really get them at scale for their first commercial facility in Georgia," DOE Loan Programs Office Director Jigar Shah said.
Aspen makes insulating materials, or thin barriers, that are layered inside electric vehicle batteries. They reduce the buildup of heat and ruinous thermal runaway, which is an uncontrollable state that starts in a single cell. It can lead to fires and even explosions.
While the fires can be a disaster that headlines news feeds, they are in fact less likely than combustion-engine blazes, as reported by MotorTrend, the Boston Globe, and others.
For Aspen's part, its aerogel tech is already being used by major automakers, including General Motors and Toyota. Aspen experts even worked with NASA to incorporate its materials in spacesuits in the early 2000s. The company began its battery business in 2021. Now, the Georgia facility is meant to up its production ability to provide product for two million EVs a year, according to the Review.
The aerogels — largely formed from small air pockets — work by fitting between battery cells. The Aspen product can slow the spread, or work to segregate a faulty cell to a smaller area of the pack, limiting damage.
"... Instead of having a car-melting fire, you have a more isolated event," Aspen CEO Don Young told the Review.
The review published a photo of a pencil sitting on a sheet of Aspen's PyroThin aerogel, demonstrating the material's thinness. The small size and air-based construction make the product lighter than other solutions, per the Review.
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While a promising tool, there has yet to be an invention that completely eliminates battery fire risks.
"Currently, we are not aware of any commercial technology that reliably prevents thermal runaway," LG Chem researcher In Taek Song said in the Review story.
Other innovations are in the works to identify flaws in cells before they are powering EVs. California-based Liminal's inspection tech integrates into battery production lines, for example.
Safety is a key concern for potential EV buyers, and Aspen's tech could help to assuage fears as more people than ever are switching to the cleaner rides. About a fifth of all vehicles sold in 2023 were EVs, according to the International Energy Agency.
Lucrative tax breaks of up to $7,500 stateside are still available to help motorists switch. That's in addition to around $1,500 in eliminated fuel and maintenance costs that can be banked annually. Each EV that replaces a gas-guzzler also prevents thousands of pounds of heat-trapping air pollution from exiting exhausts. The fumes are linked by government agencies to increased severe weather risks, among other human health concerns.
At Aspen, the big government loan seems to have the company poised for more growth. Officials hope to have the Georgia facility up and running by 2027. Revenues last year hit $110 million. Officials expect that number to double this year, the Review reported.
"This loan is critically important to us, to help us with the completion of that project," Young told the publication.
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