Introduction to Ideal Battery Characteristics

The concept of an ideal battery is often defined by three key characteristics: being cheaper, lighter, and denser. While the perfect cell has yet to be created, a startup named Daqus Energy believes it has discovered a new material that addresses at least two of these challenges.

Daqus Energy and Its Breakthrough

Daqus Energy, a company that has been operating quietly for the past couple of years, has developed a compound known as TAQ. This material promises to be both cheaper and lighter than competing battery materials. According to Harish Banda, co-founder and CEO of Daqus, "We have not seen a metric at which TAQ does poorly compared with the incumbents." The company, which was spun out of MIT, has been refining TAQ with funding in part from a partnership with Lamborghini.

Challenges and Future Plans

Although Daqus is making significant progress, there are a few caveats to consider. The company is still in the process of scaling up production of TAQ and has only just begun working on the type of cells that could be used in electric vehicles (EVs). Moreover, many promising battery materials have failed to commercialize in the past. Despite these challenges, Daqus is emerging from stealth mode with a $6 million seed round led by Morningside and participation from unnamed individual investors.

How TAQ Works

TAQ replaces the cathode in a lithium-ion battery, which is typically made of nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) or iron-phosphate (LFP). NMC cells offer greater energy density and longer range in EVs but are more expensive, while LFP cells are cheaper but heavier. U.S. and European automakers have favored NMC for their EVs but are switching to LFP to cut costs. However, the majority of LFP cathode materials are made in China, making them unsuitable for U.S.-made EVs that want to qualify for tax credits.

The Advantages of TAQ

The material Daqus has discovered, bis-tetraaminobenzoquinone or TAQ, is made entirely of widely available carbon-based compounds and does not require expensive critical minerals like nickel or cobalt. The manufacturing process for TAQ uses vastly less energy, requiring heating to only 120 degrees C, which is 700 to 800 degrees C lower than LFP or NMC cathodes. This process also uses existing equipment, allowing for cost savings.

Manufacturing and Cost Benefits

On the manufacturing line, TAQ can be deposited using existing equipment, and existing anode manufacturing equipment can also work with TAQ. This would enable battery makers to use water as a solvent instead of NMP, a toxic solvent that needs to be captured and recycled. Altogether, TAQ’s qualities have led Banda to believe that the material can undercut the cheapest lithium-ion batteries on the market. "If somebody is saying that LFP batteries are at $50 per kilowatt hour, we would be cheaper than that for sure," Banda said.

Durability and Performance

Daqus has been producing coin cells in its lab space in Massachusetts, and internal tests have shown TAQ to be durable. TAQ-based batteries can be charged and discharged 2,000 times and maintain at least 80% of their original capacity, and they are stable at high temperatures. These small batteries also charge at a rate that, when extrapolated to EVs, would enable six-minute fast charging.

Potential Applications

If there’s a caveat, it’s that TAQ cathodes take up more space than NMC, though they are competitive with LFP. However, because the material is lighter, EVs designed around it could also be made lighter and would need fewer batteries overall. This could give TAQ-powered EVs enough range to compete with NMC while being cheaper and lighter. Sports cars might realize the benefits sooner, as a lightweight, fast-charging battery pack could make electric sports cars feel special.

Conclusion

The difference between high-end and regular electric cars could soon come down to the battery. As Banda noted, "Lots of car companies in the world are trying to make electric cars. What’s the difference between a Rolls Royce versus a Tesla? Sure, you have better seats, but in terms of the core of the car, it used to be the engine. Now, it seems to be the battery." With TAQ, Daqus Energy is poised to make a significant impact on the electric vehicle industry.