Second-life battery storage technologies are struggling to be a cost-competitive technology against first-life Li-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS). In their report on the topic, "Second-life Electric Vehicle Batteries 2025-2035: Markets, Forecasts, Players, and Technologies", IDTechEx explores various means for repurposers to generate revenue within the sector including renting systems and incentivizing automotive OEMs to share revenues.

IDTechEx reports positive growth of Li-ion batteries to be expected over the coming years, largely due to policy, technological improvements, and demand in major sectors such as the EV market and stationary energy storage.

Copper has been used in cars for as long as vehicles have had electrically powered features. Its main use today is as the vehicle's central nervous system, connecting a network of sensors, actuators, displays, and more to the vehicle's ECU brains. As cars evolve and utilize more electronic components, the demand for wiring will inevitably increase.

A power module in DC fast chargers is a critical component that converts AC grid power into high-voltage DC power to charge EV batteries efficiently. It integrates rectifiers, inverters, and control systems to ensure precise power delivery while optimizing energy efficiency and minimizing heat loss. Power modules are essential for achieving rapid charging speeds and supporting high-power applications, meeting the demands of growing EV adoption.

Thursday 9 January 2025 - Navigating Emerging Trends for the Economic Development of Second-Life EV Batteries; Applications of second-life electric vehicle batteries; Overview of the global second-life electric vehicle battery market, including commentary on key players, regional activity, and an introduction to policies; Discussion on cost bottlenecks identified by IDTechEx in the second-life battery repurposing process, informed by primary interviews with key repurposers; Emerging trends to impact repurposing costs and economic development of second-life EV batteries. This includes business-to-business (B2B) battery marketplaces, advanced battery testing / grading / diagnostics technologies, semi-automated EV battery disassembly technologies, EV battery trends, and revenue sharing business models; IDTechEx's outlook and conclusions on the global second-life EV battery market

IDTechEx forecasts the second-life EV battery market to grow to US$4.2B in value by 2035, given the increasing availability of retired EV batteries over the coming decade. Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles may be used for 6-15 years, depending on the application and their degradation over time. Once these batteries reach a capacity, or State-of-Health (SOH), that is too low to facilitate the driving range requirements of the EV, these are retired. These batteries could be recycled to reclaim critical and valuable raw materials, which could be reintroduced into new EV battery manufacturing.

Ensuring that a suitable diagnostic service is provided for insured battery deployments can be advantageous. Already, the market has seen arrangements whereby an insurer will offer better premiums for fleet and BESS owners should they use machine-learning-assisted diagnostics services.

Due to the need for higher energy density and faster charging battery technologies, the battery electric car market will be the primary driver behind silicon anode material adoption. Numerous companies, from start-ups to established materials companies and industrials are expanding their capabilities to meet the growing demand for silicon anode material. IDTechEx estimates that silicon anode material production capacity is due to expand 6.5x from 2024 to 2030.

IDTechEx predicts the stationary fuel cell market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 16.7% between now and 2035, with targets in place in countries worldwide to help achieve maximum growth and deployment of fuel cell technology. Despite the hype of low carbon benefits attached to fuel cells, this is only applicable when green hydrogen is used, with other gases producing carbon as a by-product of their sourcing, or reaction process within the fuel cell.

Tuesday 17 December 2024 - Introduction into the Li-ion market and silicon anode technology; Discussion of key silicon anode technologies and developments; Overview of the silicon anode market; Key conclusions and takeaways

IDTechEx projects that the annual water electrolyzer market will exceed US$70 billion by 2034. However, access to more low-cost renewable electricity and stronger policy support for green hydrogen is needed to make it more competitive in various applications.

IDTechEx predicts that the annual demand for stationary fuel cells in the commercial market will surpass 1.9GW by 2035, with the main applications being in residential, industrial, utilities, commercial, and data sectors. Currently, over 80% of power worldwide is still obtained from fossil fuels, meaning there is lots of opportunity for growth and expansion of sustainable energy sourcing, with large demand and potential for fuel cells.

As a reliable and well-performing technology for battery energy storage systems (BESS), its demand in the global ES market has continued to grow at an impressive pace. This is expected to continue, and as found in their new market report, "Batteries for Stationary Energy Storage 2025-2035", IDTechEx estimates that the global Li-ion BESS market will be valued at US$109B in 2035.

Thursday 12 December 2024 - Machine Learning Methods for Battery Development, Manufacturing and Management; An introduction to challenges in the battery industry; An overview of machine learning and how it can be applied for batteries; Use-case analysis for five different market sectors Business model analysis for the overall market; Qualitative conclusions on how and where machine learning will see use over the next few years

Traditionally, hard rock mining and evaporation ponds have been the primary methods for lithium extraction. This article offers an overview of established techniques for mining lithium from natural resources. It focuses particularly on a collection of technologies known as direct lithium extraction (DLE), which have the potential to unlock lithium from brine more efficiently, with improved recovery rates and additional environmental, social, and governance (ESG) benefits.

Tuesday 17 December 2024 - Introduction into the Li-ion market and silicon anode technology; Discussion of key silicon anode technologies and developments; Overview of the silicon anode market; Key conclusions and takeaways

With growing interest into the integration of fuel cells for stationary power, many commercial players have chosen to adopt either proton exchange membrane (PEM) or solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). However, alternative fuel cell technologies like alkaline fuel cells (AFCs), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs), phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) still compete for market share.

As the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) industries grow, requirements for the batteries that power them become more demanding. To achieve more energy-dense batteries that aren't unsustainably expensive, faster battery development is needed, as well as more efficient management, manufacturing, and recycling methods. Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in achieving these goals.

The Li-ion industry continues to innovate to reach higher energy densities, faster charge and higher rate capabilities, longer lifetimes, lower costs, and lower environmental impact from their production to better meet the demands of the markets and applications reliant on battery and energy storage technology.

Monday 2 December 2024 - Background on the hydrogen value chain, from production to end-use applications; Significant developments in low-carbon hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and industrial applications in late 2023 and 2024; Overview of various fuel cell technologies; Major trends for fuel cells in automotive and stationary power markets; Market outlook