Renault Group bets on cobalt-free batteries in a new partnership.

As batteries for electric cars continue to develop, the Renault Group has now announced a partnership to develop new solutions for its range of vehicles through Ampere.

This company will collaborate with Stratus Materials on a Joint Development Agreement. Stratus Materials is a specialist company in the development of high-energy cobalt-free active cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries , in a technology known as LXMO.

The agreement is described as "the first step in assessing the relevance of including " Stratus products in the French group's electric vehicles . The focus, according to a statement, is "to demonstrate the high performance of the material in battery cells for electric vehicles."

Ampere also works on high-density nickel-iron-manganese (NMC) batteries and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, and is now focusing on cobalt-free batteries.

According to Renault's electric vehicle and software division, this type of battery features "improved abuse tolerance" and "high energy density," which could allow for "energy densities at the pack level" up to twice as high as NMC and LFP batteries. Ultimately, this could lead to cars with greater range and safety, at a lower cost.

Nicolas Racquet, Vice President of Vehicle Engineering and Powertrain at Ampere, stated in a press release: " Ampere is closely looking at cobalt-free high-energy materials because of their potential advantages compared to current cathode materials. Stratus' LXMO materials have caught Ampere's attention because of their unique and appealing combination of performance, cost, safety, and lifecycle."

From Stratus's side, CEO Jay Whitacre commented: "We are thrilled that LXMO has been selected by Ampere and the Renault Group as a candidate for implementation in their future vehicle portfolio. Our progress with Ampere so far has been strong, and we look forward to continuing the ongoing agreement and moving forward together towards full vehicle implementation."

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