To do that, Our Next Energy is not so much creating a battery but marrying two complementary ones. A hybrid battery approach allows Ijaz and his engineering team to combine a workhorse battery that handles the daily drives and frequent charging with another designed to stretch range on those occasional long hauls. Underlying chemistries for each battery are tailored for their respective tasks.
The second battery, which the company calls its Gemini battery, is the linchpin for range breakthroughs. It remains in the research phase, and Ijaz says pre-samples will be available next year. Later, Our Next Energy intends to seek an automotive partner to further flesh out passenger vehicle applications.
Of course, many startups claim they’ve unlocked battery breakthroughs. Ijaz understands the skepticism that follows such bold statements.
“I’ve been in batteries for 30 years, and I don’t like things that don’t have data behind them,” said Ijaz, who previously held executive roles at Ford Motor Co. and A123 Systems. “But I really do think we’ve demonstrated enough that we know we can do this. The next big thing is to do it methodically and not recruit the market before the technology is ready.”
The first battery, on the other hand, is ready now. That one, called Aries, is designed for durability and to avoid thermal runaway conditions. It is scheduled to enter production by the end of 2022, assembled in partnership with an unnamed Tier 1 supplier in Michigan.
Aries is made up of lithium iron phosphate. Notably, it does not contain nickel or cobalt, two materials found in many batteries. Ijaz avoided them because he foresees a supply chain pinch that will make them difficult to find and will also increase prices.
That strategy appealed to Thomas, who is concerned about relying heavily on raw materials found outside the U.S. “We need to ensure that with the inputs, there’s no way to have a bottleneck that turns on and off outside our control,” he said. “This focus on ensuring we’re looking at abundant chemical compositions and rooting out cobalt — which for me is not only a question of availability but one of ethics and human rights — we’re excited about that being in their DNA from day one.”
