The magnesium in Europe’s proposed High Mag batteries, is about 1,000 times more abundant than lithium in Earth’s crust. It is also cheaper and safer to work with, according to many sources. But magnesium’s biggest deal-maker appears to be its superior theoretical energy storage capacity. We just need to get around a few tricky problems and we could be good to go with it.
Europe’s Exciting High Mag Battery Project
Finance for the ground-breaking magnesium battery project comes from the broader Horizon Europe program. The two targeted cathode chemistries are magnesium-sulfur and magnesium-metal. Both of these would theoretically work in tandem with a powder-based magnesium anode.
The project plan envisages these High Mag batteries revolutionizing ‘energy storage’. And becoming ‘a superior, widely-adopted alternative to lithium-ion technology’ in order to achieve the following:
- Greener, safer high-performance electric transport that reduces reliance on critical materials.
- Sustainable manufacturing processes that integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructures.
- A circular battery economy that prioritizes design-for-recycling, and green, efficient material recovery.
High Mag Strategies to Achieve These Goals
The European Union project is a public-private partnership. The team are applying their minds to the following priorities:
- Developing innovative active materials,and components, suitable for both magnesium-sulfur and magnesium metal battery systems.
- Enhancing fundamental understanding of battery chemistry, ‘through advanced techniques and in-depth scientific analysis’.
- Demonstrating safe, high performing battery prototypes, that meet the needs of real-world applications.
- Delivering sustainable manufacturing solutions, that are compatible with lithium-ion production infrastructures.
“Magnesium is at the forefront of the next generation of batteries,” a project team leader told Electrive. “With High Mag batteries, we are developing sustainable, powerful and cost-effective alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.”
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