SAN DIEGO — Batteries are being used at a higher rate around the world to power everything from your remote control to your electric vehicle. But not as much progress has been made in the technology inside those batteries.
One San Diego-based tech company, South 8 Technologies is pioneering a new type of "Liquefied Gas Electrolyte" that they say can make rechargeable batteries lighter, higher performing, temperature resilient, and eco-friendly.
As technology advances as quickly as it has, so does the need for more reliable and more robust battery storage.
“Now that we have this growing revolution, there’s much more of a drive to create batteries that are much more environmentally resilient, much more stable, much larger," South 8's CTO and Co-Founder, Jungwoo Lee told CBS 8.
It's a shift that South 8 is playing the long game for. Advancing the technology storage today that can be used years down the line to prevent things like battery fires and allow for more electric vehicles to be used in extreme heat and cold.
“The liquefied gas electrolyte makes an inherently safer chemistry within the battery," Cyrus Rustomji, the CEO & Co-Founder of South 8 Technologies said. "So if it were to fail it with very much limit, the tendency to catch fire and create any additional hazards for any users nearby.”
“Safety is paramount for all applications out there," added Hamid Sayadi, Chief Commercial Officer of South 8 Technologies. "So, we see this as a great opportunity to really be able to introduce this new technology to the market for a variety of different applications.”
It’s a massive undertaking for the team of 25. But, they say their technology could be easily integrated into today's factories.
"Today’s batteries, they operate anywhere from about freezing to maybe 50°C, which is maybe 100°F or so," Rustomji added. "We’re developing batteries that are gonna be at a wider range. Everything from the coldest night in Alaska all the way to the hottest summer days in Arizona. Everything from -60°C to +60°C.”
They say the push comes as batteries are now required to power larger undertakings like electric vehicles, buildings, and even the grid itself.
“Here in America, we kind of swap our phones every two years, right?" Lee said. "So, you need your phone last two years whereas a car you want... 20 years lifetime? Right? So, it’s just a completely different set of requirements that we’re asking of this battery technology."
The innovations out of South 8 are even being funded by the Department of Energy with a multi—million dollar grant, saying to reach the aggressive government goals, this next-generation technology will be all the more necessary.
“We are fortunate and lucky and proud to be San Diegans," Sayadi told CBS 8. "We are definitely looking forward to seeing our products in the vehicles that are running on the streets of San Diego. It’s amazing.”
“That’s the thing. That’s the whole climate revolution. It's a long game, making very smart and robust decisions now to make sure that what we build today can continue to sustain us tomorrow," added Lee.
For more on the innovations being made, you can visit South 8 Technologies' Website here.
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