Leclanché uses Echion anode materials in new heavy-duty batteries

Swiss legacy battery maker Leclanché has developed XN50, the world's first lithium-ion battery cell equipped with Echion Technologies' XNO, a niobium-based active anode material.

According to Leclanché, the cell offers integrators and OEMs a differentiated battery option that outperforms existing chemical compositions in heavy-duty vehicle, rail and marine applications. The XN50 cells are said to be able to deliver high power over an estimated lifecycle of more than 10,000 cycles in heavy-duty applications.

The battery makers say the new materials offer 50 per cent higher energy density compared to LTO technologies, as well as higher cell safety and performance in extreme conditions.

Leclanché specialises in heavy-duty applications, providing batteries for trains, such as the order from Koncar last year, as well as marine applications such as for for Stena Line and Brittany Ferries. The company places considerable focus on environmental concerns and very recently began the REWIND battery recycling research project with Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC, among others. In its most recent announcement, the Swiss battery maker revealed that its water-based cathode formulation ensures that the XN50 cell electrodes are PFAS-free, which further reduces its environmental impact.

With the new materials – as the first battery maker to use the niobium-based anode materials from Echion – Leclanché will replace its current LTO offering with XNO and introduce a range of new battery modules and pack solutions to coexist with its G/NMC offering.

The offering comes shortly on the heels of the British niobium anode materials supplier Echion Technologies having raised 35 million dollars to bring ts niobium-based XNO anode material to market.

Jean de La Verpilliere, Chief Executive Officer of Echion Technologies, said that Leclanche teams are setting a new standard for heavy-duty Li-ion batteries with the XN50, adding that bringing the XN50 into the field at scale, “will enable end-users to benefit from a battery specifically engineered for industrial and mass transportation applications, significantly enhancing their operations while reducing emissions.”

leclanche.com