Energy Storage

Sodium-ion batteries share similar electrochemical principles with lithium-ion but differ in cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes, with ongoing development in cost-effective sodium-based alternatives. While sodium-ion technology faces challenges in achieving cost-competitiveness with lithium-ion, advancements in engineering and material innovation could enable it to serve as a complementary solution in specific applications.

Solid-state batteries are emerging as a promising solution for advanced energy storage, offering a unique balance of performance characteristics that make them suitable for a wide range of applications. However, their widespread adoption will depend on overcoming challenges such as scalability, cost reduction, and addressing interfacial issues between the solid electrolyte and electrodes.

Automotive and battery OEMs are responsible for collecting retired batteries, which is where the second-life battery value chain begins. Recycling processes may see critical raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel reclaimed by OEMs. However, the already somewhat established relationship between recyclers and manufacturers may prove tricky for repurposing companies to interrupt.

The automotive industry is often an early adopter of luxury products, where both the increased performance and convenience are selling points to consumers. Self-healing materials can be used in a range of automotive applications, including tires, paints, and coatings. Use cases even extend to asphalt road surfaces, where damage can lead to issues for vehicles and drivers.

IDTechEx discusses the pros and cons of composite EV battery covers, as well as innovations, current market adoption and an outlook for future adoption.

Lithium metal batteries will form a significant portion of next-generation electric vehicle batteries. However, increasingly, lithium metal battery developers are taking the anode-less approach, constructing cells without lithium metal foils at the anode to reduce costs. Anode-less designs are poised to become a primary focus of commercialization for lithium metal battery developers.

Thursday 3 April 2025 - Understanding the Critical Materials in Lithium-Ion Batteries: Trends in Demand, Supply, and Sustainability; An overview of materials in lithium-ion batteries; Critical battery materials demand trends; Trends in battery mineral mining and extraction; Carbon emission profiles of battery raw materials; Global raw materials supply outlooks; The prospects of deep-sea mining

Since 2020, the emergence of aerogels as a fire protection material for electric vehicle (EV) batteries has provided a new and rapidly growing opportunity for the aerogel market. According to the latest IDTechEx market report, "Aerogels 2025-2035: Technology, Market, Forecasts", the adoption in EV thermal barriers has helped drive the aerogels market to exceed US$1 billion in 2025.

Wearables, including medical devices, hearables, XR, and smartwatches, will be the main drivers for flexible battery developments - specifically bulk batteries. Companies are looking for new features and form factors from batteries to best suit the development of smaller and lighter devices, particularly in the medical and fitness sectors, where the Internet of Things and interconnected devices will become a large part of remote patient monitoring and health tracking.

How electric 2-wheelers (E2Ws) are used and how their batteries are designed is very different from the car market. IDTechEx's report, "Fire Protection Materials for EV Batteries 2025-2035: Markets, Trends, and Forecasts", finds that the market for fire protection materials in E2Ws will grow by 12 times compared to its 2024 size.