Solid State EV Batteries Look Promising
Accelerating the pace of electric vehicle adoption is now a central strategy in the international effort to combat climate change, and EVs just keep getting better. There is growing optimism that a new generation of EV batteries will soon be ready for deployment, greatly increasing the functionality of the world’s cleanest powertrain.
Engineers have been working diligently to replace the liquid electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries with a suitable solid material, knowing that solid-state batteries would deliver significant benefits. The primary advantage is the increased amount of electrical energy that can be stored in each battery cell relative to its size and weight. Limited driving range is one of the main convenience drawbacks impeding EV adoption, and battery cells with superior gravimetric energy density could significantly reduce the weight of an EV, improving its fuel economy dramatically and allowing it to travel much farther on a single charge. Solid-state batteries could also be refueled at faster rates, shortening the amount of time that an EV owner might spend at a public charging station. They also have the potential to be much more durable, retaining their storage capabilities across far more charging cycles. Lithium-ion batteries are difficult to extinguish when they catch fire, and this problem could be avoided by replacing flammable liquid electrolytes with a solid material. If the latest prototypes are as good as they appear to be, we will soon be seeing vastly improved EVs offered at more competitive prices.
A number of companies are competing to bring solid-state batteries to market. Three of the frontrunners, QuantumScape, Solid Power, and Factorial have recently made promising announcements. All three are headquartered in the United States.
On December 20th, QuantumScape issued a press release stating that it had reached an important milestone, shipping prototypes of its first 24-layer solid-state battery cells to automakers for independent testing. Volkswagen Group has partnered with QuantumScape since 2012 and is now well positioned to capitalize on their investment.
Solid Power issued its own press release the following day, announcing that it has “deepened its partnership” with the BMW Group. BMW will be replicating Solid Power’s pilot production lines at its facilities in Germany and manufacturing battery cells that rely on the developer’s proprietary sulfide-based solid electrolyte material. Then, on January 12th, Solid Power announced that it has received an award of up to 5.6 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop EV batteries that do not contain nickel or cobalt.
In early January, Factorial unveiled a 100 amp-hour solid-state battery at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. The developer has partnered with Hyundai, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz, and its jumbo prototype appeared at the trade show in the Stellantis exhibition space. Last August, Factorial broke ground on a $45 million pilot production facility in Methuen, Massachusetts, and has recently announced new operations in South Korea and Japan.
Carbon dioxide is curtailed any time an EV replaces an internal combustion vehicle, but the environmental benefits of solid-state batteries go well beyond their ability to accelerate EV adoption. The world is struggling to generate enough clean energy, and energy is conserved whenever we improve the fuel economy of the emerging electric fleet. A superior generation of EV batteries is coming into view, and it is a welcome sight.