Fermi Energy is developing a low-cost, high-performance electric vehicle (EV) battery cathode made from earth-abundant materials. The company’s breakthrough technology enables faster charging, longer range, and superior durability, unlocking mass-market EV adoption and driving deep cuts in transportation-related carbon emissions.

 
 

 

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Ray Xu

Zhengrui (Ray) Xu is the co-founder and CEO of Fermi Energy Inc., which develops low-cost, high-performance cathode materials for next-generation batteries. Xu earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from Virginia Tech in 2021. He co-founded Fermi Energy in 2022 to commercialize his doctoral research on lithium-ion and sodium-ion cathodes. Xu previously interned at Tesla on the Cell Manufacturing Engineering team and later became a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at Virginia Tech.

 

TECHNOLOGY

 

Critical Need
EV batteries remain expensive and often struggle with fast charging and cold temperatures. A key challenge lies in the cathode active material, which accounts for nearly half of a battery cell’s cost and limits energy density and charging speed. Existing cathodes are too costly or inefficient for mass-market EVs. There is a critical need for innovative, low-cost, high-performance cathodes to improve battery performance and accelerate the transition to electric transportation.

Technology Vision
Fermi Energy’s innovation addresses the core challenges of battery cost, performance, and sustainability with its advanced cathode material. This material is made from low-cost, earth-abundant elements, significantly reducing cathode costs compared to nickel-based alternatives. It offers high energy density, enabling longer driving ranges. This cathode also supports ultra-fast charging in a fraction of the time required by conventional batteries and maintains strong durability with minimal capacity loss over extended use, delivering a breakthrough solution for affordable, high-performance EV batteries.

Potential for Impact
Fermi Energy envisions a future where EVs are not just competitive but clearly superior to internal-combustion-engine vehicles, offering both lower total cost of ownership and enhanced performance. The company’s breakthrough cathode technology enables EVs to become the better choice based on their own merits. By accelerating widespread EV adoption through cost and performance advantages, Fermi Energy can help reduce the carbon footprint of ground transportation by up to 78 percent, cutting as much as 3 billion tons of CO₂ emissions annually worldwide.

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