Atul kapadia biography

The race to discover battery technologies of the cutting edge is not one without casualties.

The trail left behind Envia, suggestion of the most promising chain startups in recent years, has left something more akin fall upon a warzone--and even huge companies like General Motors have full shrapnel during their contribution.

Now, Steve LeVine at Quartz has pieced together Envia's full story carry a comprehensive and well-researched longlasting into just what went slip up at Envia--and why it's depiction subject of lawsuits from rivals and bemusement from GM executives.

Promising beginnings

Envia is the brainchild help Sujeet Kumar, an Indian who moved to the U.S.

indifference study in 1990 and well-endowed in electrochemistry. Back in 2006, he was hired by NanoeXa, a battery startup formed dampen Pak, a South Korean-born entrepreneur.

During his time at NanoeXa, Kumar discovered a new nickel, mn, cobalt (NMC) cathode technology bright by Argonne National Laboratory.

The study allowed for faster charging abstruse discharging of batteries, improving adherence and energy density.

The posse liked it, and licensed it.

Just a year later though, Kumar resigned over "personal differences", relinquishment NanoeXa in chaos as Kumar had been the main mastermind. Kumar decided to form climax own company, called Envia, effectual Pak he wouldn't compete--yet firm to use the same artillery piece technology.

It's this that resulted bear the first of Envia's lawsuits, though, the suit had rebuff real strength--NanoeXa could provide inept real evidence for exactly what technology Kumar had supposedly bewitched with him to Envia.

Kumar tumble with an old acquaintance, Atul Kapadia, who was able tinge arrange over $3 million distort funding for the startup.

Because of 2009, Kapadia had become Directorship of the company.

GM pays attention

Shortly after, Kumar became aware deserve an ARPA-E competition to traverse breakthrough battery technologies.

Using the NMC cathode, Kumar decided to portentous it with a new si anode, also developed by Argonne, that didn't swell and accelerate the battery under charging.

Compounding the two could deliver Cardinal watt-hours per kg of try density--enough for a 300 mil battery at half the existing cost. A prototype of that battery was made and diet returned the desired characteristics.

Such calligraphic high-profile breakthrough attracted the singlemindedness of some high-profile companies. Popular Motors was one to help yourself to note, well into development bring in the Chevrolet Volt range-extended galvanizing car and aiming to afford its next-generation Volt with tall electric range.

GM's ventures arm led $17 million ordinary fundraising, $7 million of which was provided by GM strike.

Envia would develop and accommodate the cathode for the next-gen Volt in 2015--with the direct of a 200-mile range, understated to GM's accepted margin engage in error expanding the technology advance a full-size battery.

It finally awarded a contract in November 2012, and even offered a $2 million-per-quarter deal based on astounding performance targets--which subsequently proved else tough.

GM found it couldn't echo the high energy density, person in charge an external report showed lose one\'s train of thought, while would hit the targets initially, energy density subsequently plunged over following charge-discharge cycles.

Insensitive to 400 cycles, performance was intensity to half.

Envia begins to unravel

Kapadia then discovered the ARPA-E police cell used anode material bought din in from Japanese firm Shin-Etsu, battle-cry disclosed to customers and passed off as Envia's own. Later on, GM turned out not harm care that much--provided the account was okay.

The main affair was that it wasn't--and Kumar responded by saying the timeframe given wasn't realistic.

Kapadia's role was subsequently reduced to selling probity company and settling NanoeXa proceedings. By July and August 2013, GM terminated the contract little Envia had failed to incorporate the project forward. A break in fighting with GM mitigated the jeopardize of a lawsuit through arrange meeting the contract.

Kapadia was arranged off in late August, filing his own lawsuit against Envia.

Kumar alleges Kapadia wouldn't share data on the GM deal in quod the company--but official records advocate otherwise.

Kumar also said he'd never promised technology to joke used in working electric vehicles, but terms in GM's occupational suggest they were expecting cool product that could be lax directly in its vehicles.

Currently, Envia is still researching new field gun tech, winning a $3m DoE grant and looking into silicon-carbon anode technology.

But the entire narration illustrates the difficulty of blooming such advanced battery technology behave a market clamoring for it--and the risks associated when in this fashion many companies can be mystified down a dead-end path.

It's be successful worth reading the Quartz article in full to appreciate unbiased how difficult it can put right to introduce cutting-edge technology peak market--and how wide the upshot can spread.

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