LTO
Also known as: Li4Ti5O12 · SCiB
Lithium titanate: the name refers to the anode, not the cathode. It charges at −30 °C and declares tens of thousands of cycles, at the cost of weight and price. No product in the catalogue uses it.
What changes for you
It is the only lithium chemistry that charges below zero. Toshiba writes of its SCiB cells that "since there is almost no metallic lithium deposition even at low temperature, repeated charge and discharge is possible at −30 °C": the problem that stops LFP, NMC and NCA arises at the graphite anode, and here the anode is a titanium oxide.
The cycles are of a different order of magnitude: Toshiba declares 20,000 cycles with at least 70% remaining capacity on the 20 Ah cell (at 3C and 25 °C) and 40,000 with at least 80% on the 2.9 Ah one; the Australian residential battery Zenaji Aeon declares 22,000 cycles above 80% at full discharge. Here too the rule holds: cycles, threshold and conditions must be read together.
The price is paid in weight and voltage. Toshiba's cells sit between 46 and 47 Wh/kg in the high-power version and between 89 and 106 in the high-energy one; the finished Zenaji unit does 54 Wh/kg (1,930 Wh on 36 kg). With 2.3–2.4 V nominal, more cells are needed for the same pack voltage.
The data
| Nominal cell voltage | 2.3 V |
|---|---|
| Contains lithium | yes |
| UN number for transport | UN 3480 / 3481 |
What the products in the catalogue declare
No product in the catalogue uses this chemistry, today.
The anode is lithium titanate (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) in place of graphite; the cathode can be of different types, and whether it contains cobalt depends on that, which the manufacturer usually does not declare: which is why the field stays empty. It contains lithium.
In an internal short circuit, Toshiba explains, the lithium-titanium oxide of the anode "changes to a highly resistive phase, reducing the short-circuit current": it is the mechanism that gives this chemistry its reputation for robustness. The JRC describes it as "capital-intensive": it costs more than the others per kWh.
In Europe we have not found a residential storage unit or a camper battery using LTO with a datasheet we could reach. Toshiba sells cells, modules and stationary systems; the Zenaji Aeon is Australian. The entry exists because the attribute exists, and it will remain without products until the market brings some.
Related entries
Frequently asked questions
How many products in the catalogue use LTO?
No product in the catalogue uses this chemistry, today.