Texas EV Battery Startup Takes Aim At Texas Oil Industry

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Oh the irony, it burns. Public officials in Texas have been on a rant against clean energy investing, yet the state is home to a growing number of startups aimed at pushing the oil industry into a sidebar of the global economy. The latest example is the Austin startup Group1, which is launching a new potassium-based energy storage formula aimed at supporting the high performing, lower-costing, and more environmentally friendly EV battery of the future.

A New Potassium EV Battery Rises, In Texas

Group1 crossed the CleanTechnica radar in 2022, shortly after the energy storage innovator spun out of research conducted in the laboratory of John Goodenough at the University of Texas at Austin. Goodenough, a Nobel Laureate, played a leading role in the invention of lithium-ion battery technology.

Group1 has been moving along at a rapid clip over the past two years. Last September, the startup received an investment of $250,000 from a $10 million UT seed fund, to help accelerate commercial production of the company’s new potassium formula for EV batteries.

The seed fund is managed by the school’s Discovery to Impact team, which is tasked with supporting startups that deploy intellectual property developed at UT.

“The investment will help Group1 increase its workforce, expand production capacity of its product potassium cathode material, Kristonite, to pilot scale, and forge business partnerships with Tier1 cell and automotive manufacturers that wish to establish a domestic, ‘lithium alternative’ solution,” UT explained in a press release dated September 29, 2023.

One Potassium EV Battery To Rule Them All

Group1 has big plans for the potassium EV battery of the future, and UT is there for it.

“Group1’s product, Kristonite, a 4V cathode material — Potassium Prussian White — enables KIBs [potassium-ion batteries] that can deliver faster charging with enhanced safety and higher energy density when compared with lithium iron phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries or sodium-ion batteries, making them the future of the energy industry,” the school enthused last year.

“To date, Group1 has raised $7.5 million to bring KIB technology to market and is currently in the early phases of engagement with leading supply-chain partners and several of the largest and most reputable cell manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world,” they added.

No kidding. In addition to an exclusive license from UT, in June of 2023, Group1 announced another licensing agreement with Sharp Corporation.

“This agreement grants Group1 exclusive rights to Sharp’s patent portfolio related to Potassium based cathode materials, enabling the next generation of sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective batteries,” the company explained.

“Potassium Prussian White (KPW), a focus of Group1 and part of the licensed portfolio, is a 4V cathode material and stands out for being free of critical minerals such as Lithium, Cobalt, and Nickel, enabling sustainable Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs),” they added, noting the advantages of a supply chain almost entirely located in North America.

Group1 also took the opportunity to emphasize that its new potassium formula is engineered as a drop-in replacement, compatible with existing lithium-ion EV battery manufacturing facilities.

All Eyes On The World’s First 18650 Potassium EV Battery Cell

Group1 embarked upon its potassium journey with a coin-cell format before moving on to pouch-type cells. In the latest development, earlier this month Group1 released a cylindrical 18650 version, billed as the first of its kind in the world.

“As part of this launch, Group1 is delivering samples to key Tier 1 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and cell manufacturers, marking a significant milestone in energy storage,” Group1 reported in a press release dated August 1.

The company also took the opportunity to remind everyone that its new battery “enables the best combination of performance, safety, and cost when compared to LiFePO4 (LFP)-based LIBs and Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs).”

In terms of mobile energy storage, the 18650 format is an important step. The cylindrical shape was originally popularized for handheld devices in the 1990s and it has enjoyed a second life as the preferred format for an EV battery cell (18650 refers to the dimensions 18 millimeters in diameter by 65 millimeters long).

What’s The Big Deal About Potassium?

Lithium-ion batteries aren’t going away any time soon, but supplying enough lithium for many millions of electric vehicles over the coming years is an enormous undertaking fraught with the environmental impacts of lithium mining and brine evaporation.

Some impact-reducing solutions are beginning to emerge, including improvements in EV battery recycling technology and new brine extraction systems. The long lifespan of contemporary EV batteries will also help relieve some of the pressure.

New battery materials like potassium present another approach, which is to avoid lithium entirely and use an alternative supply chain. In contrast to lithium, potassium is an earth-abundant material.

That’s not quite as simple as it sounds. In 2021 the journal Nano Energy published a state-of-the-technology review noting that “the development of rechargeable potassium batteries is still in its infancy,” though the research team also suggested pathways to smooth the road towards commercialization.

In terms of federal funding for EV battery R&D, potassium batteries have not been very high on the to-do list of the US Department of Energy. However, last year the agency did allocate almost $2.6 million to the California startup Project K in support of the firm’s potassium-ion EV battery, as part of a $42 million funding pot aimed at reducing the cost of EV batteries while improving performance.

Texas Startups Killing Oil Industry

As for Group1, CEO Alexander Girau makes no bones about his company’s potential impact on transportation decarbonization.

“By distributing samples to our partners among Tier 1 OEMs and cell manufacturers, we are paving the way for widespread adoption of this transformative technology,” he explained in a press statement.

Meanwhile, keep your eye on the Dallas branch of the University of Texas, which is apparently in competition with the Austin branch to see who can take credit for the foundational research behind America’s next top EV battery.

Last September, the US Department of Defense allocated $30 million towards the establishment of a new energy storage campus at UT-Dallas.