One Next Energy Inc. (ONE), a battery technology company based in Novi, demonstrated a proof-of-concept battery called Gemini that powered an electric vehicle 752 consecutive miles without a recharge at an average speed of 55 mph.
“We want to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by eliminating range anxiety, which holds back most consumers today,” says Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and CEO of ONE. “We are now focused on evolving this proof-of-concept battery into a new product called Gemini, which will enable long distance trips on a single charge while improving cost and safety using sustainable materials.”
The road test across Michigan took place in December of 2021 and the results were validated by a third-party using a Tesla Model S retrofitted with a ONE Gemini battery, which achieved 882 miles at 55 mph.
Today’s electric vehicles have lower adoption due to range limitations. According to ONE, even the highest range electric vehicles sold today lack the surplus energy required to overcome factors such as high-speed driving, extreme weather, mountainous terrain, or towing trailers in real-world conditions. These factors can lead to a loss of more than 35 percent of rated range.
The industry approach to solving the range issue is to add more charging stations. Relying on fast charge stations, however, presents other obstacles, such as waiting in long lines, not recharging as fast as advertised, and being limited to a partial charge, which results in the need to stop every 150 miles.
“The ONE Gemini battery aims to eliminate range as a barrier to electric vehicle adoption by doubling the available energy on board in the same package space,” says Ijaz.
The ONE engineering team are focused on safer battery chemistries that use sustainable raw materials while creating a reliable, low cost and conflict-free supply chain. It will begin production of its first product, Aries, in late 2022 and will demonstrate a production prototype Gemini battery in 2023.
