Key advantage of niobium oxide use is ultra-fast charging

06/20/2024

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Collaboration has resulted in the e-Bus, a new electric bus equipped with niobium-lithium batteries — Foto: Divulgação

One of the major challenges in the electrification of urban mobility is reducing vehicle recharge times. In many cases, batteries require hours to recharge, and for buses and trucks, this means long downtime periods, increasing costs, and larger fleets.

This challenge brought CBMM, a niobium products manufacturer controlled by the Moreira Salles family, together with Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus. The collaboration has resulted in the e-Bus, a new electric bus equipped with niobium-lithium batteries. The prototype was unveiled on Wednesday at CBMM’s industrial and mining complex in Araxá, Minas Gerais.

While the bus has no set date for mass production, the battery, developed by CBMM in collaboration with Japan’s Toshiba Corporation and Sojitz Corporation, is expected to hit the market in larger volumes by the second half of 2025.

The primary advantage of using niobium oxide in batteries is ultra-fast charging—up to 10 minutes for light vehicles and up to 15 minutes for heavy vehicles, without the risk of overheating or explosion. During the prototype’s presentation, a real-time demonstration showed the e-Bus being recharged in 8 minutes and 37 seconds.

Rapid charging with niobium technology does not compromise battery life. “The evolution of these materials ensures competitiveness and quality for the batteries,” said CBMM CEO Ricardo Lima.

Since 2014, CBMM has been developing materials to enhance battery performance. In mid-2018, the company signed a research contract with Toshiba, which led to the technology used in Volkswagen’s electric bus.

The companies aim to use these buses for urban routes, given their estimated 60-kilometer range, which covers over 90% of routes in large Brazilian cities. The e-Bus prototype, built on an 18-tonne chassis, has four battery packs, each with a usable capacity of up to 30 kWh (kilowatt-hours). The bus charges via the front roof, connecting wirelessly to a 300-kW pantograph fixed to the ground and connected to the electrical grid.

According to Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus CEO Roberto Cortes, it typically takes about four years for a new electric vehicle to reach the market. He noted that the development of the E-Delivery electric truck began in 2017 and it was launched in 2021.

To date, CBMM has invested around R$450 million in niobium oxide production capacity, in addition to the R$80 million the battery program receives annually. Currently, the company has 41 battery projects under development, including applications for heavy vehicles, mining transport, and robots.

CBMM expects the battery sector to account for 25% to 30% of its revenue by 2030. Currently, approximately 80% of its revenue comes from steel products, as niobium addition enhances steel strength. The company does not plan to produce the niobium-lithium batteries themselves. Instead, the Minas Gerais government is in discussions with Toshiba, which currently manufactures the cells in Japan, to attract potential investment to Brazil.

The CBMM-Toshiba partnership has included pilot cell manufacturing plants in Japan and active material production in Araxá, along with a dedicated battery materials laboratory at the Minas Gerais factory.

Following the installation of the pilot niobium oxide plant, CBMM has built a factory with a capacity of 3,000 tonnes per year, which will begin operations in August. This volume is expected to meet demand for the first three years.

The reporter’s travel costs were covered by CBMM.

¨Por Stella Fontes — Araxá

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/