The Chinese company General New Energy (GNE) presented a prototype of a promising lithium-sulfur battery with a record density of energy storage of 700 Wh/kg. This is more than three times the capacity of the average lithium-ion battery. Lithium-sulfur batteries are also safe to use and contain less rare materials. It remains only to wait for the mass production of the miracle batteries, but when this will happen is still unknown.
General New Energy was founded in 2022 based on an international group of scientists led by a researcher from China. The company has its own production facilities and intends to produce the promising batteries itself. The lithium-sulfur prototype's claimed record energy density of 700 Wh/kg pales in comparison to its prospects of achieving an energy density of 2,600 Wh/kg, which is particularly important for the development of electric mobility.
Lithium-sulfur batteries are being developed by many well-known companies and startups. However, these are difficult batteries for researchers to make. Sulfur compounds have low conductivity and this reduces the power of lithium-sulfur batteries. Also, sulfur and lithium compounds increase the viscosity of electrolytes, which reduces electrical conductivity and even causes batteries to shrink, which threatens their physical destruction.
However, GNE scientists are working hard to create sulfur-compensating electrolyte additives and cathode coatings that use sulfur, while lithium-sulfur battery anodes are still made from lithium metal. Fortunately, progress is now being made. Lithium-sulfur batteries are of interest to many electric vehicle manufacturers, but like any new technology, it is still expensive, but the new type of battery has promise.