When will batteries take over the world?

Catalyst · 17 Mar 2022 · 58m

What this episode covers

David Schroeder, CTO of Volta Energy Technologies, argues that EV batteries have reached an inflection point, with global market share doubling to 9%, driven by early adopters and cost reductions from $1,100/kWh to $140/kWh. He critiques 'range anxiety' as a product deficiency rather than a customer issue, highlighting the need for fast-charging infrastructure and silicon anodes to improve charge rates without sacrificing safety. For grid storage, Schroeder dismisses 'long duration' as a technology category, asserting that lithium-ion remains the cost-effective null hypothesis for most applications, though he explores flow batteries, thermal storage, and Energy Vault's concrete block lifting as niche alternatives.

Mentioned

Companies
Volta Energy Technologies, GM, LG Chem, Solid Power, Feasible, 6K, Konomics, OneNex Energy, Niobolt, Energy Vault, Energy Hub, Bloom Energy, Antenna Group, Nextracker
Products
Chevy Bolt

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