In 2026, Montreal will host the International Meeting on Lithium Batteries (IMLB), a major meeting in the field of lithium-ion batteries. The event will bring together private companies, politicians, researchers and students, who will debate “on climate change and the challenges of the industry” of electric cars, telephones and energy storage.
This conference will “shine the Quebec and Canadian ecosystem,” said Concordia University professor Karim Zaghib. The former director of the Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage at Hydro-Quebec has been named president of the conference.
Mr. Zaghib, a reference in the field, notably developed with his team the lithium-ion phosphate batteries, which are used by Tesla.
While electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular, the industry faces several challenges. Among these is reducing the price of batteries to the key threshold of $100 per kilowatt-hour, below which the price of an electric car becomes competitive with that of a gasoline-powered car, Zaghib says.
IMLB will also address battery life issues, which can cause “anxiety” among consumers, and the need for faster charging. “People want to have the same feeling as going to a gas station,” judge Mr. Zaghib, who wants the time to load a car to last less than fifteen minutes.
Greener batteries
The full professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering also insists on the importance of traceability of lithium-ion batteries.
“We want to have clean batteries, made with clean minerals, in green mines where we respect human rights and the environment,” he adds, advocating the delivery of a “certificate” to the consumer. .
Today, “more than 85% of lithium-ion batteries are manufactured in Asia,” laments the expert in energy transition. According to him, Quebec and Canada must “accelerate the production of lithium-ion cells” and develop their “industrial independence”. A “realistic” relocation, since “Quebec has a unique ecosystem”.
“Apart from manganese, which comes from New Brunswick, all the elements [du tableau périodique qui composent une batterie] are in Quebec,” says the professor, who has worked in the field for 36 years.
The transformation of materials can then be done using green energies such as hydroelectricity, since Quebec has low-cost energy that is almost 100% renewable and clean.
“We have the creativity”, but we “lack of manpower”, deplores Mr. Zaghib.
The professor hopes that these advances in the industry and the discussions during the conference will convince skeptics to join the electric shift. “Lithium-ion batteries, the electrification of transport, it is one of the most important elements to stop the acceleration of global warming. »
This content is produced in collaboration with Concordia University.