As the name suggests, a graphene battery is a battery that uses graphene materials. Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon nanomaterial composed of carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice. As the thinnest, strongest, and most conductive and thermally conductive new nanomaterial discovered to date, it is hailed as the "king of materials in the 21st century".
Market research and analysis indicate that graphene has great potential in the automotive field, and can bring significant technological breakthroughs to areas such as super-fast charging batteries, vehicle lightweighting, and fuel cells.
On January 15, GAC Aion, a new energy vehicle manufacturer, released a teaser for its graphene super battery on its official Weibo account. At the same time, Zeng Qinghong, Chairman of GAC Group, pointed out that "GAC's graphene-based fast-charging battery has entered the real-vehicle testing phase, with the first model to feature it being the AION V. It is currently undergoing winter testing in Heihe, and mass production is tentatively scheduled for September this year."
It is understood that the graphene fast-charging battery has a 6C fast-charging capability, and when combined with high-power supercharging equipment, it can be charged to 80% in as little as 8 minutes. Combined with silicon anode materials, the energy density can be increased to a cell density of about 280Wh/kg, the range can reach 1000km, and the lifespan is greater than 1600 cycles.
Graphene batteries have sparked heated discussions in the market. On January 16, at the 2021 China EV100 online forum, Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice chairman of the China EV100, publicly poured cold water on long-range batteries: "If someone says that a car can travel 1,000 kilometers, can be fully charged in a few minutes, is extremely safe, and has a very low cost, then don't believe it, because that's impossible."
In response to the heated public debate, Gu Huinan, General Manager of GAC Aion, stated: "Please do not misunderstand Academician Ouyang Minggao's words. In the past, even if the battery could be fully charged in 8 minutes for 1,000 kilometers, the charging piles might not have been able to handle it. Technology and operation and promotion are two separate issues, and everyone should approach technological progress scientifically."
Some battery technology experts have also offered more objective assessments:
First, GAC's claim of "graphene battery" is inaccurate, but not unrealistic;
Secondly, this graphene battery mainly involves a battery anode technology: "silicon-based composite anode material technology" using graphene as a conductive additive. The incorporation of graphene as a conductive additive in the anode material (up to 8%) can improve the battery's high-rate charging performance, thus helping to achieve the so-called "1000km range with 8 minutes of charging"; the "silicon-based lithium-ion anode" based on a "one-core, dual-shell" structure process can improve the battery's cycle stability, structural density, and discharge rate performance, thus achieving the so-called "1000km range".
Third, the battery also involves a fast charging technology: based on graphene as the conductive agent of the ternary lithium battery cathode material, a cooling system is used to achieve 6C fast charging capability, which is a technology that allows "1,000 kilometers of range with 8 minutes of charging".
The conclusion is that GAC's so-called "graphene battery" should correctly be named a "silicon-based negative electrode lithium battery doped with graphene." This battery technology is not new, but it represents a significant breakthrough in manufacturing processes. While the performance parameters touted for this battery may be exaggerated, they also have a high probability of being realized.
