Production Begins for Liquid Metal Battery

Home > Industry Analysis > Content

【Summary】Ambri, a startup, is set to put liquid metal batteries into production next year. These batteries have a lower cost and simpler construction method compared to lithium-ion batteries. They are also more durable, non-flammable, and largely immune to degradation over time. Scaling this technology may be hindered by sourcing antimony. Ambri aims to reduce costs to make the technology cost-competitive with traditional power plants by 2030.

FutureCar Staff Aug 18, 2023 7:29 AM PT

Production Begins for Liquid Metal Battery

The field of clean energy generation is filled with promises of new technologies, but many of them never make it to production. Whether it's due to cost issues, production challenges, or scalability concerns, breakthroughs in the industry often fail to materialize. Multi-layered solar panels, wave and tidal energy, and hydrogen fuel cells are all examples of real technologies that struggle to compete with lower cost and proven alternatives. However, one technology that seems to be defying this trend is the liquid metal battery, which is being developed by startup Ambri and will be deployed on the electrical grid next year.

Ambri's battery technology is already poised to disrupt the market with its lower cost compared to lithium ion batteries. While lithium ion batteries cost around $405 per kilowatt-hour, Ambri's liquid metal batteries come in at about half that price. The construction method is also simpler, using molten metal electrodes and a molten salt electrolyte. Not only is this design more durable, but it is also non-flammable and resistant to degradation over time. According to testing results, the battery is expected to retain 95% of its capacity even after 20 years of use. However, the availability of antimony, one of the required metals, could pose a challenge to scaling up this technology.

Despite the promising cost advantage, Ambri still needs to further reduce the costs of their batteries to compete with "base load" power plants. Currently, they can produce the batteries for $180 to $250 per kilowatt-hour, but they aim to bring the costs down to about $20 by 2030. Achieving this target would be a significant milestone, as it would make renewable energy sources competitive with traditional power plants. It's worth noting that liquid metal batteries are not the only nontraditional battery technology being explored to solve this problem. Another interesting energy storage technology on the horizon is phase-change materials.