EnerCera – a new Li-ion battery solution to eliminate bottlenecks in IoT power supply

At CES 2020 in Las Vegas, a multitude of next-generation IoT devices aiming to solve pressing issues in healthcare, mobility, agriculture and others were introduced. However, the development of these devices has also brought forth issues in power supply maintenance. The large majority of batteries used in power supply are primary batteries, which face capacity issues. With secondary or re-chargeable batteries, charging time and battery life span remain pressing issues. In addition, replacing methods, monopolized space, limitations in the implementation process as well as swelling resulting from deterioration remain problems for batteries.

At last year’s CES 2019, the Coin and Pouch type “EnerCera” series from NGK Insulators Ltd. (NGK) were awarded with CES Innovation Awards (in the Smart Energy category). With the introduction of this lineup of secondary battery products, expectations to solve the issues surrounding the batteries for IoT devices widened. The Crystal Oriented Ceramic Plate is composed with only active material, realizing high energy density and low internal resistance within the small and thin body. It also has the unique characteristic of high-temperature installation. The EnerCera series can operate ICs, sensors and wireless communication systems that require large currents such as several 10 mA to several 100 mA. In addition, CV (Constant Voltage)-charging capability eliminates the need for a charger IC to control the charge current. The EnerCera series is positioned to offer an alternative to primary batteries in the near future.

EnerCera has two types: “EnerCera Coin”, a coin type cell that is 1 mm to 2 mm thick, for mounting on a circuit board, and “EnerCera Pouch”, an ultra-thin and bendable cell, 0.4 mm to 0.45 mm thick, for embedding in a card. EnerCera Coins are made by adding a small amount of liquid electrolyte to its all-ceramic stacked monolithic body with electrodes and separator. NGK defines these unique batteries as “Semi-Solid State Battery”. They have achieved a world’s first for a lithium-ion secondary battery with an operating temperature of 85°C, and have a lifespan of up to10 years, which are the two biggest demands for IoT devices.

The key to the spread of IoT devices is a battery that solves the issues of maintenance
Energy harvesting is defined as gathering forms of energy that are generally thrown away, such as solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients, and kinetic energy, but re-use them. While its potential has been widely discussed in recent years, the needs for power in communications between devices have made its realization difficult. EnerCera has special characteristics to make it uniquely suited for energy harvesting. In addition to the feature to store small amounts of electrical currents, it can also release large currents when needed, acting similar to capacitors. This unique feature allows EnerCera to be used as a maintenance-free power supply solution in an ultra-small/ultra-thin package.

At CES 2020, to show the potential of maintenance-free power solutions for IoT devices, NGK collaborated with other companies to showcase numerous applications using EnerCera. For example, the company introduced a wireless agriculture monitoring system based on energy harvesting together with Renesas Corporation. With regards to the efficiency of the battery used, Renesas gave high praise: “We have tried a multitude of products, but EnerCera outclasses them all.” NGK is also advancing technology to increase power generation through energy harvesting by using the EnerCera Pouch in a collaborative project with Ricoh Company. Furthermore, together with Ricoh Electronics Devices, NGK is working on a maintenance-free environmental sensor based on Indoor Photovoltaics.

It is possible to imagine a future in agriculture where managing a field and its crops through IoT devices that no longer require the changing or replacing of batteries, thus lowering maintenance costs. This is the future that NGK hopes to realize.

In the field of wireless power supply, the company has already announced partnerships with leading companies such as Ossia and Powercast, and is expected to develop maintenance-free wireless power supply solutions. While power supply and maintenance are the bottlenecks for many IoT devices, energy harvesting and wireless power supply will allow charging and operation while almost automating the management of the device. Further possibilities for this technology also exist in the fields of healthcare, watches, home devices and many others.

Creating new value with solutions previously non-existent in the market
Discussing the potential of EnerCera in realizing a maintenance-free IoT concept, NGK’s Vice President  Ohwada underlines the strengths outlined above: “Both models in our line-up offer power supply solutions for ultra-small/ultra-thin IoT devices that have not previously existed in the market. The EnerCera pouch is ultra-thin and bendable, allowing it to be embedded into a flexible circuit board. On the other hand, the coin model can be mounted together with other electronic components on the circuit board through reflow soldering, substituting the capacitor as a dispersed power source.”

He continued by offering his vision for the series. “In the retail and logistics industries, EnerCera can be utilized in logistics tags, electronic shelf labels as well as realizing IoT in our living spaces such as smart homes. In manufacturing, we see potential in equipment monitoring devices, power supply backups, outdoor 5G base stations and 5G solutions in general. Overall, I believe that EnerCera will be able to surpass what we can imagine, and I expect to see solutions ranging from needs in security, preventive maintenance, energy conservation as well as many other small but innovative applications. I would like to see EnerCera respond to a wide variety of needs, contributing to the smart society.”

With a world-first high heat-resistance property, EnerCera’s potential includes mobility and industrial markets
In December 2019, NGK announced that EnerCera has achieved the world’s first for a lithium-ion secondary battery by operating at a temperature of 85°C. The series has thus been anticipated to be utilized for applications in the field of mobility, where heat-resistance is crucial. This was reflected at CES 2020, where a large number of IoT companies in the automotive sector visited NGK. Applications discussed included smart keys, tire sensors and Electronic Control Units (ECU) using EnerCera as a dispersed power source in the next generation of IoT inside the car. Overall, expectations are high within the industry.

In industrial markets, one of the largest potential applications for EnerCera is as the power source for monitoring piping, or other tasks inherently difficult for humans to conduct alone. Aside from this, there is potential in the process management for factories, lighting & air-conditioning management for buildings and equipment monitoring, by utilizing EnerCera with energy harvesting or wireless power supply as power solution.

EnerCera in smart cards – towards realizing high security solutions
Since 2019, NGK has been shipping samples of the EnerCera series, and one of the early applications have been high-functionality smart cards. For instance, when it comes to creating a high-security credit card with fingerprint authentication, a battery that maintains thinness and a small-footprint is important, making EnerCera a natural choice. In addition, the fact that the series is compatible with contactless card readers further enhances its functionality for ultra-fast charging. Taiwan’s JINCO is among a handful of companies that conducts the development of next generation smart cards with fingerprint authentication and other wireless communication features using EnerCera.

The EnerCera series’ evaluation board and modules were prepared in cooperation with TOREX Semiconductors, and are expected to be utilized in a multitude of IoT devices, as  Ohwada summarizes: “We expect EnerCera to be adopted by a wide variety of companies, including IoT device manufacturers, IC vendors who combines it with power ICs, communication modules or CPU/MCUs, as well as companies in energy harvesting and wireless power supply, who will look to use it in charging. In addition, EnerCera also has potential in lifestyle, home, automotive and industry, and we believe it has the potential to help function various IoT devices, which contributes to realizing future society.”

About leading ceramics manufacturer NGK
NGK is the world’s largest manufacturer of electrical insulators and has developed numerous products in the electronics and automotive sectors with top shares globally. The company recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. NGK is also the world’s leading manufacturer succeeding in the commercialization of large-capacity energy storage systems (NAS batteries), which has overturned the conventional wisdom that power cannot be stored. These have been installed in over 200 different locations worldwide.

NGK has been pouring resources into the research and development of new products, including a zinc rechargeable battery that secures a high level of safety. The zinc rechargeable battery was the world’s first product in the storage battery field to obtain a UL verified mark for safety.

EnerCera is just one of the products birthed through NGK’s R&D efforts, with sales expected to reach 15 billion Yen by 2025.

＊EnerCera and NAS are trademarks of NGK INSULATORS, LTD., registered in the U.S.

For more information, PDF versions of the product data that NGK displayed at CES2020 are available at: https://www.ngk-insulators.com/en/ces2020/

Chip-type Ceramic Secondary Battery “EnerCera” Series of New Power Sources for IoT Devices Exhibiting a Power Source Module Jointly with TOREX SEMICONDUCTOR LTD. in CES 2020:
https://www.ngk-insulators.com/en/news/20191223_10646.html

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