[jillesvangurp]

Yes, different market segments. That one is aimed at the aviation industry where weight matters a lot and is worth a lot to customers.

LFP is technically a bit less energy dense than some other chemistries but it has cost as its big advantage which is why it is the go to choice for a lot of the mass produced mid range EVs. A cheap fast charging battery is going to be quite nice as it makes fast charging stops less disruptive. Which means the utility of EVs with smaller batteries increases. So what if you have to take a 10 minute break every few hundred miles? Not a big deal. You'd probably do that anyway if you value your health and sanity.

[7e]

Usually on family road trips you don't get to decide when you're going to stop for a bio break. So with an EV you end up stopping twice (or more). With an ICE there is usually a gas station at the first stop.

[jacobp100]

I also saw that one being incredibly useful for EVs, as you could make the car weigh less and so wouldn’t need as high kWh storage

[jillesvangurp]

Nice for expensive sports cars where cost doesn't matter. But everything else competes on cost, not weight. These high density batteries are going to be very premium priced for quite some time to come. Plenty of customers willing to pay that premium. High volume production of that things is likely some time away.

Catl also produces some sodium ion batteries. They have even less density than LFP but contain no lithium or other valuable materials. For mass production, cost is king. And with faster charging speeds, range becomes less important.

[extraduder_ire]

I thought lithium wasn't especially valuable, especially compared to the other things that go into a battery. I'd buy that sodium is cheaper though, with the amount of sodium salts that are knocking around the economy.

[jillesvangurp]

The price of lithium fluctuates a bit. Currently around 37 dollars per kg. A kg of salt is a lot cheaper. Just check in your local supermarket.

[londons_explore]

I'd like to know why aircraft have batteries at all... When you have three huge jet engines, there should be no need for batteries on an aircraft where every kilogram saved is worth tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the plane.