Peak Energy, a U.S.-based company developing low-cost, giga-scale energy storage technology, has appointed Liam O’Connor as Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder. O’Connor joins the founding team as Peak Energy scales the first U.S. venture to advance proven sodium-ion battery technology to accelerate grid decarbonization and drastically reduce the cost of energy storage. The rise in AI is putting massive pressure on the grid – the energy needed to power AI tasks is accelerating with no end in sight. The world needs a reliable storage solution to support this growth in a sustainable way. Sodium-ion is the optimal solution for grid-scale storage, offering a safer, more cost-effective way to power the future of AI. With a clear opportunity to make sodium-ion a new clean storage standard, Peak Energy launched last year to industrialize sodium-ion battery systems and establish the U.S. as a global leader in the sodium-ion market. “Affordable and reliable energy storage is the key to unlocking the full potential of renewables, and sodium-ion is the proven, abundant, low-cost battery chemistry to make that a reality,” said Landon Mossburg, co-founder and CEO of Peak Energy. “Liam’s deep expertise in global operations and supply chain will be invaluable as we rapidly scale and begin deploying our sodium-ion systems next year.” As a member of Peak Energy’s founding team, O’Connor reunites with ex-Tesla colleague Mossburg and battery industry veteran, Cameron Patterson, President and Chief Commercial Officer, alongside a broader team with a track record of scaling some of the most iconic companies in energy, mobility, and batteries, including Tesla, Northvolt and Enovix. He brings two decades of operational leadership experience at some of the most successful technology companies in the world, including Tesla, Apple, and Lyft. O’Connor most recently was COO of Zipline, the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery service. At Zipline he oversaw global operations and scaling in eight countries and led core functions including manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. Before that he led Tesla’s global supply chain team and industrialization engineering, and before that managed the worldwide custom semiconductor and sensor supply chain at Apple. “Environmental, geopolitical, and market pressures are all pointing toward an urgent need for a reliable, stable and domestic solution to clean energy storage,” said O’Connor. “I’ve known this team for years, and we have the deep industry knowledge, technical expertise, and the conviction to make the U.S. the leader in sodium-ion battery technology. I’m looking forward to working with Landon, Cameron and the rest of the team to bring this vision to life at scale.” The addition of O’Connor comes on the heels of Peak Energy’s launch from stealth last year with a seed round led by Eclipse and the battery and energy leaders at TDK Ventures. Next year, Peak Energy will begin deploying its sodium-ion systems, while also establishing the first domestic giga-scale battery factory for sodium-ion, with plans to open in 2026.
Results for: Sodium-Ion Batteries
A groundbreaking advance in sodium-ion battery technology has been unveiled by researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). By incorporating materials used in supercapacitors into the cathode, the research team has developed a hybrid sodium battery with exceptional energy density, power output, and rapid charging capabilities.
Sodium-ion batteries offer significant advantages over traditional lithium-ion batteries due to the abundance, affordability, and enhanced safety of sodium. However, their limited storage capacity and prolonged charging times have hindered their widespread adoption. The KAIST team’s innovation addresses these challenges by utilizing advanced electrode materials and an optimized electrode synthesis method, resulting in a battery that outperforms commercial lithium-ion batteries in energy density and achieves capacitor-like output characteristics.
The rapid charging capability of the hybrid sodium battery, ranging from seconds to minutes, has the potential to revolutionize the use of electronic devices and electric vehicles. It paves the way for devices that can be fully charged in a matter of minutes, enhancing convenience and reducing downtime. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of sodium materials could enable automakers to lower production expenses while offering EVs with reduced charging times.
The promising findings of the KAIST team have been published in the renowned journal Science Direct, highlighting the potential of this breakthrough to advance energy storage technologies and pave the way for transformative applications in various industries.
Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of energy storage, unlocking the potential of sodium-ion batteries to revolutionize portable power. By combining the advantages of lithium-ion batteries with the abundance and affordability of sodium, they have developed a hybrid battery with exceptional performance characteristics.