Largan Precision Co (大立光) has formed a joint venture with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) to produce fast-charging, long-life lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, mobile electronics and electric storage units, the camera lens supplier for Apple Inc’s iPhones said yesterday.
Largan Energy Materials Co (萬溢能源材料), established in January, is developing high-energy, fast-charging, long-life lithium-ion batteries using titanium niobium oxide (TNO) anodes, it said.
TNO-based batteries can be fully charged in five minutes and have a lifespan of 20 years, a major advantage over the two to four hours of charging time needed for conventional graphite-anode-based batteries, Largan said in a joint statement.
Photo: CNA
The TNO-based batteries are also considered to be more suitable energy solutions for electric buses, power storage devices, hybrid vehicles, stackers and drones, the statement said.
The value of the global lithium-ion battery market is forecast to climb to US$450 billion in 2030, Largan said, citing McKinsey & Co’s research.
Largan Precision owns about 20 percent of Largan Energy Materials, with an investment of NT$450 million (US$14.33 million), according to registration information on the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Web site.
The government-funded ITRI holds the remaining 80 percent stake in the venture.
“The collaboration with ITRI shows the company’s confidence in lithium-ion batteries using TNO anodes. The company also has high confidence about applying the batteries to different applications,” Largan president Huang You-chih (黃有執) said.
Largan Energy Materials plans to build a pilot-run production line at Largan Precision’s headquarters in Taichung this year, with an initial annual capacity of 24 tonnes.
By 2026, its aims to boost capacity to 600 tonnes, Huang said.
Lithium-ion batteries are essential for mobile electronics, electric vehicles and power storage systems, and the world’s major battery makers and researchers have been striving to develop new battery materials amid growing demand for safe batteries with a long lifespan, ITRI executive vice president Chang Pei-zen (張培仁) said.
The Department of Industrial Technology has invested NT$1 billion over the past five years in scientific research on developing fast-charging, solid-state lithium-ion batteries and low-carbon-emission process technologies, the ministry said.
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