Batteries have long been considered as disposable – something thrown away at the end of their useful life, and batteries in their current format are no friend to the environment, nor are they sustainable.
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Clean technology company Aceleron has developed a totally renewable and recyclable lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that can be repaired, traded, or upgraded, and could replace lead-acid batteries in automotive applications. Furthermore, the battery’s modular nature promotes reuse and remanufacture, while its long lifespan means it is kinder to the planet.
The Essential Recyclable Battery
Aceleron’s Essential battery is the first reusable, repairable, and fully recyclable lithium-ion battery and has a greater capacity than ever before, reaching up to 200A+ peak power. Using a compression technology method developed by the company, each part of the battery can be accessed for repair, replacement or upgrading, meaning it has a virtually endless lifespan.
“Up until now, batteries have unfortunately been treated as a disposable consumer product, without much thought to what the disposal of these batteries looks like,” states Carlton Cummins, Chief Technical Officer and co-founder of Aceleron. “We are passionate about making sure that 100% of the materials in our batteries will continue to be used for as long as possible - preferably forever."
The patented technology can provide uninterrupted and reliable power at several different voltages, making it ideal for several automotive applications, including leisure vehicles, light electric vehicles (EVs), and medical response vehicles.
The core of the battery is not permanently bonded, nor does it feature fixed components as seen in most batteries. Instead, its modular design allows it to be easily swapped, allowing the battery to be upgraded or serviced and returned as a renewed product. This extends the lifetime of the battery and decreases waste, making it better for the environment.
The battery is easily scalable and able to power the company’s entire range of products. Its modularity also enables easy servicing and functional and performance upgrades, reducing through-life costs and raw material use in the long term.
The Essential | Real World Applications
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Essential Advantages
The Essential has a lightweight, robust, rubberized design and is both practical and portable. A Group-31 standalone battery, it could power a motorhome or all-terrain vehicle (ATV), or a remote telecoms station. It is the same size as its lead-acid Group 31 counterpart – a large and powerful battery often used in marine automotive and off-the-grid applications - but twice as light.
“The Essential is the same size as a group-31 battery, offering up to four times the cycle life and three times more continuous power than a lead-acid battery,” explains Cummins. “It is easy to install in three different positions, is half the weight of a traditional battery and is ergonomically designed to be sleek and portable.”
Essential Importance
Governments worldwide are committed to reaching net-zero by 2050 by reducing their carbon emissions and focusing on sustainability. It is no surprise that clean technology and clean energy are high on the agenda. While batteries have numerous applications in vehicles, consumer devices and stationary energy storage, they do not fit with this sustainable, low-carbon vision.
The Essential technology is a huge stride in the right direction, making sustainable, renewable batteries a reality. It can advance as technology develops, says Cummins.
“As technology evolves, we have the ability to upgrade individual components without the need to discard the entire battery, staying true to our company ethos of promoting reuse and remanufacture over waste, contributing to the increasingly crucial circular economy.”
The Essential’s infinite lifespan means that this powerful, high-performance battery is the most sustainable, low-waste lithium-ion battery in the world, something that we are extremely proud of."
Carlton Cummins, Chief Technical Officer and co-founder of Aceleron
Reusing and remanufacturing battery components in this manner removes the hassle of having to replace your energy storage solution every couple of years, while also reducing the waste generated by the industry. Aceleron also takes back any packs that are no longer suitable for their purpose and reuses them in their second-life products.
References and Further Reading
Aceleron (2021) Introducing the world’s first totally renewable lithium-ion battery. [Online] Available at: https://www.aceleronenergy.com/newsroom/introducing-the-worlds-first-totally-renewable-lithium-ion-battery. Accessed 20 July 2021.
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