Panasonic, the largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars in the world.
Panasonic Energie CTO Shoichiro Watanabe revealed to Reuters the company is currently working on a solution that will increase the energy density by around 20%.
Although the article doesn't specify whether 20% refers to volumetric energy density or gravimetric.
it does give an example of a possible increase from 750 Wh/l up to 900 Wh/l which suggests volumetric improvement.
In the case of electric cars it could be equivalent of an extra 100 km of range.
The Japanese company wants to increase cell voltage.
It is usually around 3.7V nominal depending on the chemistry and peaks at 4.2V (max).
We have heard of cells with voltages up to 5 V over the years.
This allows for a significant increase in stored energy but they are not yet available on the mass market due to their longevity.
Panasonic plans to add a new mixture of electrolytes to its electrolyte to allow for higher voltages and greater resistance to high voltages.
Although it is not known when the voltage of lithium-ion batteries will begin to rise, it is expected that it will take several years.
It's not yet clear if the updated chemistry will apply to the new 4680-type cylindrical Tesla battery cells.
The 4680 Panasonic production is currently in pilot, but will soon enter series production in Japan and possibly also in Kansas (in a new factory).