The shift to electrification continues to take center stage in the transportation industry as companies try to keep up with changing environmental regulations while finding more sustainable and cost-effective ways to power their fleets.
According to the International Energy Agency, the United States and Europe saw the fastest growth in electric vehicle (EV) sales in 2023. However, China remains the biggest market for EVs based on an 18% increase in demand in 2023.
Despite recent developments in the geopolitical climate surrounding tariffs and potential impacts to supply chains, Freudenberg e-Power System (FEPS) experts say growth is strong in the heavy-duty sector, thanks to the introduction of new products and diversification of battery chemistry. The metals market also plays a role in deciding the feasibility and affordability of electrifying global transport.
Freudenberg e-Power Systems designs, develops, and manufactures high-performance battery and fuel cell systems. The systems are specifically designed and customized for buses, trucks, maritime applications, and off-road transportation. Their battery packs and cells have been installed in more than 2,500 vehicles while collectively covering more than 100 million miles worldwide.
Each battery is made up of different compounds of elements, which combine to power fleets across the world.
The battery cell chemistry, combined with the pack design and components, determines the following:
The key components in battery cells are electrodes (a cathode and an anode), a separator, and an electrolyte. For Lithium-ion batteries, the cathode, or the positive side of the battery, is made of aluminum foil with an active material composite coating. The negative side is the anode, which is a copper foil with a graphite composite coating. When the battery is charged, a chemical reaction sends positively charged lithium ions from the cathode to the negatively charged anode via the electrolyte. During discharge, the reverse process occurs, creating a current which powers the device, vehicle, or vessel. As the vehicle or vessel runs, the lithium ions are discharged, and the charged battery’s energy is reduced. The separator prevents the direct electrical contact of cathode and anode electrodes.
LFP batteries have garnered significant interest due to the cell’s long cycle life with 100% utilization, reduced thermal runaway energy at the cell level, and lower production cost compared to Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) batteries. Improvements to energy density at the pack level also help to manage the LFP’s low energy density at the cell level.
According to the International Energy Agency, LPF is the most common chemistry in China, while NMC is more common in the U.S. and Europe.
The Asia Pacific market, and more specifically China, dominates the EV market. China is home to some of biggest EV battery manufacturers plus much of the supply chain down to the raw materials runs though the region, according to MarketsandMarkets, particularly for LFP.
LFP batteries have been powering cars and trucks for years, but according to Freudenberg e-Power Systems experts, LFP technology is peaking, opening the door for other chemistries and combinations.
NMC batteries utilize Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide cathode material. These batteries provide a higher energy density, with long cycle life, high power, and fast charge rates. NMC also has a relatively lower carbon footprint and end-of-life recycling cost.
Freudenberg e-Power Systems has proven success in electrifying ferries, buses, trucks, and mining and construction equipment with NMC-based batteries.
LMFP batteries contain LFP and Manganese in the cathode and offer higher energy density and lower cost, but may have tradeoffs in terms of cycle life, power, and charge rate.
LTO batteries use aluminum foil on both the cathode and anode sides of the battery, while Lithium Titanate is used for the anode active material instead of graphite. The main characteristics of these cells are an extremely long cycle life, high charge/discharge rates, and thermal stability, but they come at a higher price point.
LFP and nickel-rich NMC batteries are currently the staples in the market, but FEPS experts believe an innovation in NMC batteries is the future of heavy-duty electrification, particularly in the maritime market.
“Nickel is good for energy density, cobalt is good for stability, and manganese helps keep costs down and the charge rate high,” says Dr. Kevin Dahlberg, Freudenberg e-Power Systems Vice President of Cell Technology. “Mid-nickel, single-crystal NMC is just coming to the market and has a lot of innovation upside, particularly when combined with our experience developing and manufacturing high-performance power cells for heavy-duty applications.”
NMC compounds come in various forms, NMC811, NMC622, NMC111, typically referenced by their nickel content. The higher the first number, the more nickel content there is in the compound. FEPS chemists have been researching and developing ways to harness the power of NMC in a new way which they believe will help electrify applications all over the world.
The result is a mid-nickel, single crystal NMC cathode chemistry capable of providing an optimized balance of energy density, cycle life, charge rate, and thermal stability in designated conditions.
“The power cells provide the right balance of performance and cost to create a highly optimized energy storage system for demanding applications, such as in the maritime industry.” says Dr. John Camardese, Freudenberg e-Power Systems Director of Cell Development. Additionally, the trend in the cost of lower critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, and nickel, allows NMC-powered products to be highly competitive in terms of the total cost of ownership.”
The addition of mid-nickel, single crystal NMC cathode will enable the electrification of specific applications in targeted industries requiring the optimized balance of energy density, cycle life, and charge rate.
“There is a gap in the middle of the performance chart. This does everything to fill in the gap that few companies have explored. There is nothing in this space right now,” says Camardese.
Recent tests run by the FEPS cell research and development team show the throughput capacity as a function of the depth of discharge for our mid-nickel, single crystal NMC power cell compared to LFP and nickel-rich cells. Throughput capacity is an important objective of cycle life: the number of times a cell’s full capacity can be charged and discharged before end-of-life. Total cost of ownership is a complex equation, but generally total cost of ownership is minimized if throughput capacity is sufficient for a given application.
At high DOD, chemistries can perform relatively similarly with regard to throughput capacity. This level of throughput capacity is sufficient for one or less full equivalent cycles per day during application life, and as LFP has lower initial cost, its total cost of ownership is favorable for such applications.
However, many applications require maximum uptime and multiple charges per day, particularly with improving fast charge infrastructure, autonomous operation, and hybrid systems, so they require much higher throughput capacity for the same application life. This is where NMC chemistry excels, with compounding increases of throughput capacity when designed for lower DODs, as opposed to LFP chemistry which has a relatively constant throughput capacity which may even decrease with high-rate usage. In particular, mid-nickel, single crystal NMC in the Gen 3 SHP power cells can achieve very high throughput capacities even with high 2C charge rate and discharge every cycle.
Again, total cost of ownership is a complex equation involving initial cost of energy, sufficient throughput capacity and not having to replace batteries during application life, savings on fuel costs and routine maintenance for diesel engines, and more time using the equipment, truck, or vessel for its intended use. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to heavy-duty electrification.
Freudenberg e-Power Systems is committed to providing sustainable solutions for heavy-duty on-road and maritime applications, including ones requiring the highest throughput capacity and cycle life with our mid-nickel, single crystal NMC power cells.
To learn more about our Buy American Act compliant battery systems and sustainable solutions to power your fleets, please click here.
In our next post, we will delve into how the FEPS came to mid-nickel, single crystal chemistry and discuss which applications and why FEPS experts believe this chemistry is well suited for maritime applications.