Jordan R Aguirre .com

Hi! My name is Jordan Aguirre, I have a PhD in Chemistry with a focus in lithium solid electrolytes, and I am passionate about holistic EV battery development & applications. LinkedIn | Resume

Delivering a new and commercially viable battery pack requires a holistic approach, and cannot stop at simple R&D. Many questions have to be answered, but at least three stand out:

1) Customers – is there a customer segment with a problem that can be solved by your battery?

2) Manufacturers – who is willing to make your battery pack, and is it compatible with existing manufacturing techniques?

3) Investors – why should a venture capital (VC) invest in your technology?

Being able (or unable) to answer these questions will dictate whether or not a startup can not only survive, but thrive and successfully transition into a full fledged company. I first became aware of these types of questions in graduate school.

During the first half of my PhD, my views on lithium battery research were typical of academia, namely that the right battery component (electrolyte, electrode material, etc) would single-handedly solve our energy storage woes. In 2019 however, I participated in the NSF I-Corps™ program, which uses a customer discovery, evidence-based approach for evaluating research ideas. I got to speak with real people, and hear their insights on industrial battery research and manufacturing.

The program completely changed my views, from naively thinking of academic research as a “magic bullet”, to the realization that it is part of a much larger and exciting ecosystem. It is an ecosystem where industry manufacturing, partnerships, supply chains, market dynamics, policies and many other factors cooperate or conspire, resulting in the success or demise of companies, technologies and market segments.

The “battery world” is also an ecosystem where intellectual property has originated from academia, while technical expertise has been developed in industry; today, startups and corporations alike see the value in carrying out both activities side by side. These realizations forced me to think about the journal articles I was reading – as well as my own research – in more holistic terms, rather than the traditional single-minded approach adopted by the academic community at large.

Examples of insights I learned include the challenges of battery manufacturing in the West, thanks to the cheaper cost of battery packs made in China versus the US and EU ($127 vs $157 and $169 per kWh, respectively). Similarly, thoughtful negotiation with Chinese manufacturers, and navigating existing relationships between OEMs and automakers are essential to the realization of commercial battery packs. Lastly, the importance of legislation addressing battery end-of-life issues such as sustainability and recycling is likely to impose additional requirements on researchers and manufacturers alike.

Academia is becoming more aware of the needs and demands of the battery industry and ecosystem, with entities such as the Battery Innovation Center, Battery 500 Consortium and Volta Foundation seeking to bridge the gap between industry and academia. Industry is also pursuing relationships with academia, and is eager to facilitate research that will result in profitable ideas.

My long-term desire is to approach better-battery-making holistically, and to facilitate the collaboration between industry and academia, by combining the strengths of these different yet complementary worlds.