Solid-state batteries are a promising technology that could solve many problems for electric vehicles
These batteries are safer and capable of greater charging speeds than conventional batteries
Ford and BMW will be the first to test the company’s batteries
Solid Power, an American company specializing in battery technology, is getting ready to start a production trial for its new solid-state electric vehicle batteries.
Solid-state batteries have often been said to be the next step in the development of EVs due to their many advantages over the lithium-ion cells that are currently used by the majority of the automotive industry.
Indeed, they are more power-dense than the current type of batteries, which means that they can store more power in a smaller physical unit. They are also safer than lithium-ion chemistries because they have less volatile compositions which are not as likely to catch fire in an accident.
In addition, they seem to be less affected by temperature changes, which means that EVs will be able to keep the same range in the winter and in the summer, even without a complex temperature control system. The charging time is also significantly shorter than comparably sized lithium batteries since the company claims a complete fast charging session will only take 15 minutes.
The final and perhaps the most important advantage of these batteries is their cost, which should be lower than the current batteries according to most companies that are working on solid-state units.
It is no surprise then that a large number of automakers are working on this technology and it could even explain why the Japanese automakers are late to the EV game since both Toyota and Honda claimed that they are waiting on this technology to launch a wider electric vehicle offer.
The manufacturers might not have to wait as long as was planned after all since Solid Power is currently setting up a pilot production assembly line to determine the best way to manufacture solid-state cells.
When the test factory becomes operational, the company will proceed with its internal tests and if those are successful, it will then supply Ford and BMW with solid-state batteries to test in their own vehicles.
This means that consumer vehicles powered by solid-state battery packs could arrive in only a couple of years.
