UNLV physicist's startup X-Regen is testing whether X-rays can restore capacity in aging electric vehicle batteries

What happened

A startup spun out of UNLV is trying to use X-rays to bring aging lithium-ion batteries back toward their original capacity, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The company, X-Regen, was founded by UNLV physics professor Michael Pravica, who has been developing the underlying science since 2011.

The technology targets batteries used in electric vehicles, smartphones and laptops. Pravica told the Review-Journal the work remains in the research and development phase, though preliminary tests on a battery this year showed a slight increase in capacity.

How the technology is supposed to work

Freeing trapped lithium ions

According to Pravica, lithium ions get caught in microscopic fractures as batteries degrade. He found that X-rays can free those trapped ions and restore a battery close to its original capacity. "When they can't move, that's when the battery has a problem," he told the Review-Journal.

A service-shop vision

Pravica described a future in which a driver takes an EV into a shop, much like an oil change, and an X-ray accelerator underneath the car targets the battery. In his example, capacity could be regenerated from about 60 percent to 85 or 90 percent. The Review-Journal reported the approach could spare Tesla owners from battery replacements costing up to $20,000 and could reduce possible toxic waste from batteries improperly dumped in landfills.

He said results so far are encouraging but limited. "We're not ready for prime time, but we're getting some results and they're looking pretty good," Pravica said, adding that the team is finishing up the experimental phase.

Funding and support behind the startup

Federal and state backing

Pravica has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development, known as GOED, the Review-Journal reported. UNLV has patented his technology and encouraged him to commercialize it.

He is also working with the UNLV Office of Economic Development, which will receive nearly $6 million over the next four years from the National Science Foundation's new Accelerating Research Translation program. UNLV was one of only eight universities in the nation to earn funding this year through the program, and the grant was announced in September. It will also supplement a GOED-supported entrepreneurship-in-residence program that helps university researchers navigate commercializing their work.

Startup training programs

With support from the university's economic development office, Pravica has taken part in the Aspire, Gener8tor and Zero Labs startup training programs. In January he completed the Zero Labs Innovation Launchpad, a three-day accelerator held at the UNLV Black Fire Innovation hub. Ryan Rubio, a principal at Zero Labs, told the Review-Journal that X-Regen builds on the foundation of GOED's statewide Lithium Loop initiative.

The Nevada connection

The Lithium Loop is a state-led initiative managed by GOED that aims to build a complete, self-sustaining EV battery supply chain entirely within Nevada, according to the Review-Journal. Pravica has also been working with Lithion, a lithium battery company based in Henderson.

Pravica said setting up the technology in Nevada "would be a tremendous economic boost." Karsten Heise, GOED senior director of strategic programs and innovation, said in a statement that the NSF award will boost Nevada's efforts to turn university research into companies and products. For more on the region's young companies, see our brief on the Las Vegas startup scene and its funding gaps, or browse more local development news.

What to watch next

• Whether X-Regen wraps up its experimental phase, which Pravica said the team is finishing.
• Pravica's stated goal of securing venture capital funding for the company.
• His plans to buy an X-ray accelerator and build a facility in Las Vegas.
• How UNLV puts its nearly $6 million NSF Accelerating Research Translation award to use over the next four years.