Publication

Power and Mobility (P&M)
2023

High-Power, Low Temperature Li-Metal Battery Cell for Military Vehicle Applications

by John Hondred; Frank Zalar PhD; Pasha Nikolaev PhD; Brian Henslee PhD

Abstract

Cornerstone Research Group (CRG) developed a lithium metal (Li-metal) battery cell for military applications. Utilizing a Li-metal anode, high energy density cathode, and an advanced low-temperature fluorinated electrolyte, the cell was designed and developed to provide high-power and low temperature capabilities. The 1.5 Ah Li-metal pouch cell had a specific energy of 247 Wh/kg and was able to discharge at ultra-low temperatures (-57 °C). Moreover, the Li-metal cell demonstrated extremely high-power by fully discharging at 10 C while maintaining over 70% its initial capacity. To demonstrate the Li-metal cell’s utility for military vehicle use, CRG modeled the cell into the 6T battery platform. A novel module housing was designed to evenly apply compression to the Li-metal cells to improve cell performance. Based on these projections, the Li-metal 6T battery could have a capacity of 163 Ah with a specific energy of 179 Wh/kg.