From Forbes:

“Range anxiety, recycling and fast-charging fears could all be consigned to electric-vehicle history with a nanotech-driven Australian battery invention.

“The graphene aluminum-ion battery cells from the Brisbane-based Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) are claimed to charge up to 60 times faster than the best lithium-ion cells and hold three time the energy of the best aluminum-based cells.

“They are also safer, with no upper Ampere limit to cause spontaneous overheating, more sustainable and easier to recycle, thanks to their stable base materials. Testing also shows the coin-cell validation batteries also last three times longer than lithium-ion versions.

“GMG plans to bring graphene aluminum-ion coin cells to market late this year or early next year, with automotive pouch cells planned to roll out in early 2024.”

So, no lithium mining at least.

“The new cell technology, Nicol insisted, could also be industrialized to fit inside current lithium-ion housings, like the Volkswagen Group’s MEB archicture, heading off problems with car-industry architectures that tend to be used for up to 20 years.

“Ours will be the same shape and voltage as the current lithium-ion cells, or we can move to whatever shape is necessary,” Nicol confirmed.

“It’s a direct replacement that charges so fast it’s basically a super capacitor.”

So instead you need aluminium (bauxite mining or recycling) and graphene (graphite mining or recycling). Nevertheless, aluminium can be recycled easily and basically indefinitely.

Today’s fun fact: you can also upcycle plastic to graphene! It’s beyond my pay scale as to how it’s done, but that’s pretty amazing.

Even lithium is moving into larger-scale recycling now too.

The scale, cost, and energy requirements of battery recycling is one of the next frontiers in helping rich people in rich countries avoid having to make tough personal choices in order to limit their Co2 emissions. You can interpret that as you like.

[Cover photo care of GMG]