crossing the chasm* - brown university€¦ · what makes the chasm so deep? 8 people technology...

©2012 A123 Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. ©2012 A123 Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Crossing the chasm*:Commercializing innovations and the importance of collaboration

Tony Gozdz, PhDPrincipal Scientist

[email protected]

March 29, 2012*With credits to Geoffrey A. Moore

©2012 A123 Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

From the founding documents…

• Brown U: Mechanics of materials for energy storage has the goal of understanding the effects of stress on the electrochemical behavior and life of battery materials. Research focuses on experimental characterization of the mechanical and electrochemical properties of electrode materials; atomistic simulations of Li transport and reactions in high‐capacity anode materials; measurement of properties of the solid‐electrolyte interphase layers; manufacture and testing of novel anode architectures; and modeling fracture in composite electrodes with complex microstructure.

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An overview of the factors that drive active material selection in lithium ion batteries

• Requirements: + high energy, + high power, + good cycle and calendar life, + good safety or abuse tolerance, and + low cost

• Cathodes with a high electrochemical half cell potential (but need to address electrolyte stability, life, and safety issues)

• Anodes with a low electrochemical half cell potential, but then need to address SEI formation, lithium plating, cyclability, etc.

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Driving factors: continued…

• Cost is a big factor for commercial applications: + A123’s focus: “innovation for a commercial purpose” –we need to think about how the customer will view the material/technology As scientists, we are enamored with technological advances, but at the end of the day, customers often only care about cost!

+ Faster adoption rate for mass‐market storage (like vehicles) requires low cost – battery cost is a primary challenge to greater use of storage

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How are we going to develop new technologies?

• Computational methods, in combination with combinatorial chemistry high‐throughput processes, help shorten development time by eliminating chemistries that have no chance of working technically or economically

• Non‐precious metals, simpler synthesis methods

• Create new and efficient modes of + Collaboration+ Information sharing + Technology commercialization satisfying all stakeholder interests

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Crossing the Chasm

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• Technology adoption lifecycle: chasm or “valley of death”

• Discontinuous innovation requires change of user behavior

*With credits to Geoffrey A. Moore


Crossing the Chasm

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*With credits to Geoffrey A. Moore


What makes the chasm so deep?

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People

Technology

Relationships

Funding

Manufacturing

Customer

• The user must want the product or service enough that they are willing to change their behavior

• Our job is to make it easy for them to change

Develop and commercialize a compelling product or service


People

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Relationships

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Technology

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• Innovation is the act of taking a new technology and creating value from it

• Innovation is not the result of one individual, in the lab, coming up with a great idea and commercializing it.

• Innovation is the collective effort of many people, some of whom may be in different organizations, all working together to make that vision a reality.+ It’s the sharing of information and learning from others that is the key to success.

• Innovation is also in the application of existing technologies to new products or processes for a unique benefit.


Funding

• Funding sources have different risk tolerance+ Universities can (and should!) take big risks+ Federal investment essential in basic science research, some need in applied research

+ VC‐backed startups can take some risk, and look for big markets to justify their bets

+ Public companies have less tolerance for riskPoliticians may have even less risk tolerance

• Collaboration can help accelerate development of new technology+ New business models emerging –university research driving innovation and Open Sourcing for B‐to‐B technology collaboration

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Manufacturing

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• Large gaps exist between university research and commercial manufacturing+ Lesson: researchers should understand how their work will be commercialized and develop technology with that in mind from the start

• The companies and partnerships that are able to bridge that gap effectively shorten development time and can use innovation to increase market share and profitability


Customer

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• Customer pull is enormously helpful (some would say essential) in commercializing new technology

• Understanding the real requirements helps inform the design process

• Most importantly: someone to help pay the bill!


The opportunities are large

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• Once battery costs are reduced, large and important applications open up:+ Mass market electric drive transportation+ Grid energy storage: replacing peaker plants, enabling widespread use of renewables

• Government, universities, and industry must work together to take advantage of these opportunities


Key points

• A123 is technology‐agnostic and will pursue whatever is necessary to win in the market (which is fiercely competitive and nationalistic)

• We strive for high‐trust relationships with a focus on ‘win‐win’

• A123’s collaboration model is flexible and governed by ‘win‐win’ and balancing level of risk with reward+ Information sharing governed by what makes sense to move an idea/technology forward

+ ‘What success means‘ clarified up front, so parties can operate in full knowledge of rewards and share appropriately

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Key points (cont’d.)

• A123 team has substantial experience working with universities, national laboratories, and companies

• Individual technologies may or may not work – but relationships with world‐class players are the key to long term success

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For more information about A123…

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www.a123systems.com

www.facebook.com/A123Inc

www.youtube.com/A123SystemsInc

www.linkedin.com/company/a123‐systems

info.a123systems.com/podcasts

info.a123systems.com/blog

crossing the chasm* - brown university€¦ · what makes the chasm so deep? 8 people technology...

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