Cambridge University is planning to commercialise a new lithium-oxygen battery after developing a promising lab-based prototype.
Dubbed the ultimate battery by the university, lithium-oxygen batteries can theoretically store up to ten times the energy of their lithium-ion counterparts, with Cambridge’s prototype capable of being recharged over 2,000 times and proving more than 90% more efficient than currently used batteries.
The high energy density is roughly equal to that of gasoline and could potentially used in electric cars. Cambridge’s lithium-oxygen battery would cost around the fifth of the price of currently used batteries, weight a fifth of the weight, and would be capable of driving from London to Edinburgh (just over 400 miles) on a single charge.
There are still technical hurdles to overcome before the battery can be brought to market, and the Cambridge team behind the innovation estimate that a practical battery ready for mass production is still a decade away.
Clare Grey, a senior researcher on the project, said: “What we’ve achieved is a significant advance for this technology and suggests whole new areas for research – we haven’t solved all the problems inherent to this chemistry, but our results do show routes forward towards a practical device.”
The technology has been patented, and Cambridge Enterprise, the tech transfer arm of the institution, will be driving further commercialisation. Plans to either license or spin out the technology have not yet been revealed.
