Apple is developing its own custom batteries that will provide significantly improved performance that it aims to use in its devices starting in 2025, according to an ETNews report.
Apple has reportedly been working on the customer battery technology since 2018, actively seeking patents and new hires for the project. The company is said to be directly involved in its use of materials, as it seeks to create an “all-new” type of battery with significantly improved performance.
Anode materials are key materials that determine battery performance such as energy density, output, and stability. Apple makes cathode materials by mixing raw materials such as nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum, and is known to be pursuing a new composition that is completely different from the existing one to improve performance.
Additionally, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being considered as a conductive material to improve battery material performance. A conductive material is a material that promotes the movement of electrons between the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material. CNTs, which have recently attracted attention as a secondary battery conductive material, can produce excellent performance even in smaller amounts than existing conductive materials.
Anode materials are being developed to dramatically increase the silicon content. Graphite is currently used as a secondary battery anode material, and using silicon instead of graphite can increase battery capacity and shorten charging and discharging times. However, silicon has a problem in that its volume expands during the charging and discharging process. It is interpreted that Apple has secured technology to overcome the expansion problem by using silicon.
Apple’s efforts are expected to result in an innovative type of battery that has not yet been commercially sold. A source told ETNews that Apple’s new Vision Pro headset has greatly increased the Cupertino company’s need for high-performance batteries, as the new headset can go just two hours between charges.
Although Apple initially co-developed its customer battery project with the company’s electric vehicle project, mobile applications are now the main target for the technology’s use.