Cost Effective Electrochemical Energy Storage Today and Tomorrow: Promising Pathways to $100 per k Wh

Cost effective electrochemical energy storage is the key to unlocking the future potential of zero emission automobiles and a stable electricity grid that utilizes large fractions of inherently variable renewable sources of power.  Lithium-ion battery costs are continuing on a downward trajectory that has enabled automakers around the world to produce battery electric vehicles and sell them at moderate to high prices. The steeply declining cost curve has also enabled this technology to spill-over into early, high-value segments of energy storage on the electricity grid. As the push-pull between technology and marketplace continues, lithium-ion and other established battery chemistries will fight for dominance with gasoline fueled vehicles in transportation and with inexpensive and efficient combined cycle gas turbines in large scale grid storage applications. Concurrently, scientists and engineers around the world are racing to build cheaper, longer-lived, more energy dense batteries based on new chemistries. These promising new beyond lithium ion storage technologies with higher performance and lower costs are seen as necessary to enable a true renaissance in the way society utilizes electricity. Cost structures for historical and projected battery technologies will be presented. Pathways to achieve a battery level price of $100/kWh will be shown in terms of materials level performance and cost targets to guide researchers and policy makers.