Another day, another solid-state EV battery announcement. It could be about QuantumScape, Tesla, Volkswagen, Toyota, or any company developing solid-state batteries, like Factorial Energy.
Indeed, over the last twelve months, excitement over next-generation solid-state EV batteries has hit a fever pitch.
The most recent news is that Porsche is developing a solid-state battery for the recently announced all-electric 911.
Last year, VW partnered with 24M technologies for their SemiSolid battery manufacturing process. 24M Technologies has a semi-solid lithium-ion battery, where the electrode is kept in a liquid state, eliminating the need for a drying stage. It uses fewer electrodes, reducing the number of layers and the amount of filler in the battery structure by as much as 80%.
StoreDot is developing semi-solid batteries for electric vehicles that will deliver 100 miles of range in 2 minutes flat. They plan to launch a semi-solid battery in 2024 capable of adding 100 miles of range on a 5-minute charge, with the 2-minute model available from 2028.
However, more recently, StoreDot has said that mass-produced solid-state batteries are at least ten years away.
Nissan has also announced they will use solid-state batteries by 2028 using proprietary cobalt-free technology. They will move towards solid-state technology completely by 2030, committing to zero cobalt.
Then we have QuantumScape, a VW-backed company, that is developing a solid-state battery. Their ten-layer has battery proven itself in tests and is expected to be commercially viable within the next few years.
It certainly appears as though the puck is skating towards solid-state batteries as the successor to standard lithium-ion. Finally, after a decade of promise, it looks as though solid-state batteries will be a thing.
As we discussed in our graphene batteries article, solid-state batteries are one of the most viable successors to lithium-ion. They charge faster, hold just as much energy (potentially more), require less harmful chemicals (no cobalt), and last longer (three times as long on average).
For the end-user, faster charge speeds and greater energy density mean a superior EV ownership experience. You can drive longer and charge faster with a solid-state battery. Now that’s a good deal!
Then there’s the longevity. While a lithium-ion battery degrades and loses capacity after 1,000 cycles, a solid-state battery can potentially maintain 90 per cent capacity after 5,000 cycles, a five-fold increase.
It isn’t just solid-state batteries that are making the news, though. Tesla is ditching cobalt for LFP batteries in Standard Range models.
In November, Tesla also closed a deal for SilLion, a battery research company developing a silicon battery anode.
Exciting times lie ahead for electric vehicles. One thing is for certain – the batteries in electric vehicles today will be obsolete in a decade. The race for solid-state EV batteries has only just begun. s
