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Solidifying batteries for safe and reliable electric vehicles
By Justin Kim
Justin Kim is developing solid-state batteries to make electric vehicles safer and more efficient.
By Justin Kim
PhD candidate, Mechanical and Materials Engineering
- Western University
The paradigm shift towards renewable energy sources has sparked the development of various technologies reliant on clean energy. In recent years, the global surge of battery-powered electric vehicles has revolutionized the transportation industry by mitigating environmental concerns inherent to gasoline-powered vehicles. Currently, every mass-produced electric vehicle utilizes lithium-ion batteries, which are a critical component of electric vehicles that dictates factors such as driving range and cost. Though lithium-ion batteries have played a pivotal role in facilitating the electric vehicle revolution, they pose a severe safety risk due to their highly flammable liquid component. My research focuses on replacing this liquid component with a solid one, which requires new materials discovery and engineering design. By using a solid-state battery configuration, we can enable electric vehicles with fast charging time, long driving range, low cost, and safe operation.
Justin is a PhD candidate in Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Western University. He graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science from the University of British Columbia. During his undergraduate career, Justin had the opportunity to conduct research at various institutions in Korea, where he developed a passion for advanced energy storage systems. One of his main goals is to accelerate the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries to enable electric vehicles with long lifetime, low cost, fast charging, and safe operation.
You can connect with Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtkimm/.
View Justin's work as it appears in the Inspiring Minds Digital Collection: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/383/