Mercedes-Benz And Factorial Collaborates To Develop Solid-State Batteries

German automaker Mercedes-Benz recently teamed up with American start-up Factorial. Together, both firms are working on developing new solid-state batteries that promise dramatically increased range, and aims to have this ready for production by decade’s end.

Christened as Solstice, the new battery promises to extend EV range by up to 80% versus today’s average. This stems form the pack’s claimed high desity of 450 watt-hours per KG, said Mercedes-Benz is a recently issued statement.

For the uninitiated, solid-state batteries are touted to be game-changers for EVs as they are lighter and much more energy dense than current EV battery types in use. However, automakers battery-makers alike have found it harder than initially expected to develop this tech at scale.

Quasi-solid-state battery pack developed and made by Factorial.

Ahead of this announcement, Factorial already established a quasi-solid-state batteries that carmakers like Mercedes-Benz are already testing. The firm adds that these should arrive in road-going EVs as early as 2026.

Factorial elected to develop quasi-solid-state batteries first as these can use similar production lines as conventional lithium ion batteries, thus allowing it to scale up faster, says its CEO Siyu Huang.

In a solid-state battery, the liquid electrolyte through which electrical charge passes should be replaced with a solid substitute, reducing fire risk and shrinking battery pack size. Huang adds solid-state batteries don’t require expensive, heavy cooling systems compared to conventional EV batteries, thus allowing automakers to further reduce costs.

"We are not just focused on the cost of (battery) cell, but the cost of the overall vehicle," Huang continued. Amongst he challenges of developing solid-state batteries include poor performance in cold weather and the battery pack's tendency to expand.

At the same time, Mercedes-Benz Chief Technology Officer Markus Schaefer adds that Factorial’s solid-state batteries can provide up to 40% improvement in energy density over the marque’s high-performance batteries in use today.

In turn, this would enable the three-point star marque to either reduce EV battery pack sizes significantly, or fulfil customer demands for EVs with even greater range. Schaefer also adds that lighter batteries will enable Mercedes-Benz to use steel for EV bodies instead of the costlier and carbon-intensive high-strength aluminium.

There are some challenges that you have to get under control, but ... we have great engineering solutions to address them," said Schaefer before adding his belief that Factorial's goal of developing Solstice at scale by the end of the decade was realistic.

Source: Automotive News Europe and Reuters