On this week’s episode of Free Lunch by The Peak, we sat down with Dr. Michael Metzger, an assistant professor and the Herzberg-Dahn Chair for Advanced Battery Research at Dalhousie University, to discuss the battery supply chain and Canada’s role in the sector’s ecosystem.
How does Canada rank when it comes to batteries?
“Canada was recently ranked the number one country in the battery supply chain in terms of the opportunity at hand, even surpassing China. We have many critical minerals needed to make batteries — nickel, graphite, lithium, manganese, and iron. I think what’s missing is the right talent, and an institution that bridges the gap between academia and industry.”
Can you tell us about some of the work you do?
“With Tesla, we work on lowering the cost of battery technology, improving energy density so that batteries can store more energy and enable longer driving ranges. We also work on the safety of lithium-ion batteries and the sustainability of battery cells. Longer term, we believe you need to develop an alternative technology, like the sodium-ion battery, to meet demand.”
Why is lithium the holy grail in the battery field?
“Our smartphones and most cars use graphite as the negative electrode material, but the ultimate negative electrode is lithium, just the metal itself. Lithium is the lightest element and it can lead to a large energy density because it sits at a very low voltage. But there are a lot of problems with using it since it’s a very reactive element. Lots of people are working on it.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Listen to the full conversation here.
