ONE Seeks to Cut Cell Costs and Give 600-Mile Range

Our Next Energy (ONE), a Michigan-based startup, has unveiled an innovative anode-free battery pack aimed at reducing cell costs by up to 50% while providing up to 600 miles (965 km) of driving range, the company said.

In an interview, founder and CEO Mujeeb Ijaz stated that the company hopes to start producing its Gemini pack in 2026 at a new 20-gigawatt-hour manufacturing factory in the United States.

Other battery companies are working on anode-free designs, but ONE's Gemini battery appears to be unique in that it employs cells with two distinct cell chemistries, one for everyday driving and the other to enhance driving range on longer trips.

Gemini's large-format range-extender cells contain the secret sauce. While standard cells use lithium iron phosphate cathodes and graphite anodes, the range-extender cells are anode-free, which eliminates the need for graphite and anode-making equipment.

According to Ijaz, the cathodes are meant to use a unique blend of lithium and manganese, as well as a significantly lower ratio of nickel, while removing cobalt.

"It has been my long-term goal to eliminate both nickel and cobalt," Ijaz said of the two major cathode materials in most existing electric vehicle batteries, which are more expensive and less sustainable than materials like manganese.

While lithium-rich manganese nickel cathodes are still being refined, the present generation of range-extender cells uses nickel, cobalt, and manganese cathodes.

ONE claims that eliminating the anode in those cells can reduce cell prices in mass manufacturing by $50 per kilowatt-hour—savings over current rates of $100-$110 per kWh.

“Our goal is to launch the Gemini battery in 2026 with zero cobalt and 26% nickel or less, using manganese as the primary cathode material,” Ijaz said.

The Gemini battery from ONE will be on show at The Battery Show in Novi, Michigan, from September 13–15.

Source: Reuters

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