Electric vehicles (EVs) have revolutionized transportation, but their reliance on batteries presents several persistent challenges. These batteries are heavy, and limited by energy-density, fast-charging capability, and low temperature performance, and a major contributor to “range anxiety”—the fear of running out of charge before reaching a destination or charging station, particularly on long, desolate roads.
Dr. Chengcheng Fang, an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University (MSU), is working to change that. Through her cutting-edge research and close collaboration with industry giants like General Motors and Ford, Fang is tackling some of the biggest obstacles in EV battery technology. In recognition of her efforts to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world application, she is being honored with the Corporate Connector Award.
“Dr. Fang has conducted considerable research with GM and Ford and obtained federal grants for battery research,” says Brice Nelson, Director of Corporate Partnerships for MSU Business Connect. “It is unusual for a principal investigator to work for both companies,” he says. “The fact that she is working for both speaks to the level of value of her work for the industry.”
The Challenge of EV Battery Innovation
For the past three decades, EVs have relied on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and despite incremental improvements, the core technology has remained largely unchanged. Across the globe, manufacturing facilities are currently designed to mass produce these batteries, and given the scale of production, there is an uphill battle to implement meaningful innovations.
“We’re exploring ways to enhance battery materials for higher energy capacity, but the issue is that while we have a lot of great innovations in the lab, we have seen very minimum transition of our results from the lab to the market, so there’s a gap there,” says Fang. “The reason for this disconnect is because we often test materials under simulated, controlled conditions” — but different criteria come into play in real-world environments. “We’re striving to bridge that gap and bring testing closer to real-world scenarios,” she says.
A Vision for the Future of EV Batteries
Though it may be several years before her innovations are adopted in a widespread manner, Fang says the research at MSU is paving the way for lighter batteries that deliver higher energy and charge faster. Her goal is to double the energy density of EV batteries, aiming to create cars capable of driving 800 miles per charge on average compared to the 400 miles typical in current models. Safety and performance in cold climates, particularly in places like Michigan, are also key areas she’s working to improve.
Fang’s work is exciting because of her ability to conduct comprehensive, hands-on research, says Nelson. “She’s not just theoretical or modeling, so her work is very distinguished from other researchers in this space. She is very responsive and willing to meet with companies interested in batteries that are on campus to discuss potential research partnership opportunities. This is huge for us to have a faculty innovator who is extremely passionate and collaborative,” says Nelson.
Fang’s research methodology combines a “bottom-up and top-down” approach. “Bottom-up means you’re starting from the atomic level, the micro-scale. We make the materials, cast them into electrodes, and then demo different components to make a battery,” she says.
On a top-down level, she works with real-world battery designs, pushing the materials to their limits and studying the failures to identify solutions. “We push all the conditions to the extreme, and we allow the battery to fail,” she says. “And we use fundamental materials characterization and modeling to try to understand the failure and how to solve the issue.”
Facilitating Industry Collaboration at MSU
Business Connect fosters collaboration by connecting researchers with industry partners, allowing companies like GM and Ford to work closely with MSU researchers.
“These collaborations are mutually beneficial,” says Nelson. “They provide a framework that enables scientists and engineers from the two organizations to work together on interesting projects. For MSU, this means working on highly relevant problems and an opportunity to shape the direction of the industry while training the next generation of corporate researchers. For the companies, this means working with a university at the leading edge of innovation in many different related areas of science.”
For Fang, these collaborations perfectly align with her goal of blending theoretical science with practical innovation. “Working with industry gives us more inspiration and insights about real-world problems,” she says. “It’s the ideal fusion of fundamental research and application. They have a lot of challenges based on real-world applications, and we have a lot of fundamental insights and tools available to solve those problems. This is where I feel most excited. These partnerships help our team take one step closer to solving real-world problems, rather than just publishing academic papers.”
Exploring Next-Generation Battery Alternatives
In addition to EV battery technology, Fang is also exploring next-generation alternatives to other types of batteries, such as the ones used for grid storage. Her team is researching sodium-ion batteries as an alternative that offers large-scale storage and is more widely available than lithium. She hopes that her research results in lighter and longer-lasting batteries.
Fang’s work has earned her global recognition, including being named one of MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 in 2022. She sees the Corporate Connector Award as a reflection of her long-standing commitment to merging theory with practice—a passion she discovered during her Ph.D. research.
Working in Michigan, the birthplace of the American automotive industry has paved the way for collaboration and innovation. “I’m still proud of my identity as an engineer. When I started my Ph.D., I was driven by the question, ‘What’s the gap between the lab and the real world?’ I think I have the answer. That’s why I’m so excited to lead my research team at MSU,” she says. “This award recognizes our efforts to bridge that gap and solve real-world problems.”
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About the MSU Innovation Center:
The MSU Innovation Center combines research partnerships, technology transfer, and startup support for MSU faculty who aim to see their research applied to make the world a better place.
Composed of Business Connect, MSU Technologies, and Spartan Innovations, the MSU Innovation Center aims to amplify the impact of faculty research and drive economic growth while positively impacting society to solve real-world challenges with cutting-edge ideas.
Through mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships with the private sector, we connect MSU faculty with companies for corporate-sponsored research collaborations. We also play a key role in facilitating the commercialization and public use of technologies and copyrightable materials, moving MSU’s innovations from the lab to the marketplace. Importantly, we provide significant support for faculty entrepreneurs in establishing startup companies based on technologies developed at MSU.