# When will batteries take over the world?

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2022-03-17
- Length: 58m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [4:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=269) Introduction: David Schroeder and Volta Energy Technologies
- [6:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=411) EV Battery Inflection Point and Range Anxiety
- [9:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=574) Fast Charging, Silicon Anodes, and Safety Failures
- [18:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=1109) Cost Reduction Strategies and Material Trade-offs
- [25:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=1504) Application-Specific Batteries: Light Duty and Fleet Vehicles
- [31:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=1866) The Myth of Long Duration Storage and Lithium-Ion Dominance
- [41:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=2486) Alternative Grid Storage: Flow Batteries and Thermal Systems
- [49:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=2972) Mechanical Storage: Energy Vault and Concrete Blocks
- [52:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-03-17-when-will-batteries-take-over-the-world#t=3152) Future Outlook: EV-Grid Integration and Recycling

## Topics

- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Volta Energy Technologies (company)
- GM (company)
- Chevy Bolt (product)
- LG Chem (company)
- Solid Power (company)
- Feasible (company)
- 6K (company)
- Konomics (company)
- OneNex Energy (company)
- Niobolt (company)
- Energy Vault (company)
- Energy Hub (company)
- Bloom Energy (company)
- Antenna Group (company)
- Nextracker (company)

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## Citing this page

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