Production of Liquid Metal Battery Begins

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【Summary】Startup Ambri is set to put its liquid metal battery technology into service on the electrical grid next year. With a cost of about half that of lithium ion batteries, Ambri's technology is already disruptive. The battery is more durable, non-flammable, and largely immune to degradation over time. The only challenge is sourcing the necessary metals. Ambri aims to lower costs to be competitive with power plants by 2030, potentially powering grids entirely with renewables.

FutureCar Staff Aug 15, 2023 9:39 AM PT

Production of Liquid Metal Battery Begins

The news is filled with claims of groundbreaking clean energy technologies, but many of them never make it to production. Whether it's due to cost issues, production challenges, or scalability limitations, we often hear about industry breakthroughs that never become a reality.

Multi-layered solar panels, wave and tidal energy, and hydrogen fuel cells are all examples of real technologies that struggle to surpass lower-cost, simpler, and proven alternatives. However, one technology seems to be defying this trend: the liquid metal battery developed by startup Ambri.

Ambri's battery technology is already positioned to be disruptive, with a cost of about half that of lithium-ion batteries, which currently cost around $405 per kilowatt-hour. The construction method of Ambri's batteries is simpler as well, utilizing molten metal electrodes and a molten salt electrolyte. This not only makes the batteries more durable, but also non-flammable and resistant to degradation over time.

According to the company's testing results, the battery is expected to retain 95% of its capacity even after 20 years of use. The only potential challenge in scaling this technology could be sourcing antimony, one of the metals required for construction.

While Ambri can currently produce these batteries for $180 to $250 per kilowatt-hour, they aim to reduce the costs to around $20 in order to compete with "base load" power plants. The company projects that they will achieve this target by 2030, which could pave the way for renewable energy to power entire electrical grids.

However, liquid metal batteries are not the only nontraditional battery technology attempting to solve this problem. Another promising energy storage technology on the horizon is phase-change materials.