Mercedes to develop batteries that extend EV range by 80%

Mercedes-Benz and US battery start-up Factorial are working on a solid-state battery that should dramatically increase the range of electric vehicles (EVs) and be ready for production by the end of the decade, the companies said on Tuesday.

The new battery, named Solstice, should extend EVs’ range about 80% above today’s average, with an energy density of 450 watt-hour per kilogram, the companies said in a statement.

Solid-state batteries have been billed as a game-changing technology for EVs, as they should reduce fire risk and allow for lighter, lower-cost cars than can travel further on a single charge.

But they have proven harder than expected for major car and battery makers to develop at scale.

Motor groups are urgently seeking ways to cut costs and boost EVs’ range as sales have stagnated in Europe in particular.

Factorial has already developed a quasi-solid-state battery that automakers including Mercedes are testing and should be in EVs on the road in 2026.

Mercedes has invested in Factorial, which raised $200m in 2022, alongside rivals Stellantis and Hyundai.

Factorial developed quasi-solid-state batteries initially because they could use similar production lines to conventional lithium-ion batteries, meaning they could scale up faster, CEO Siyu Huang said.

In a solid-state battery, the liquid electrolyte through which the electrical charge passes should be replaced with a solid substitute, reducing fire risk and shrinking battery pack size.

Huang said that solid-state batteries would not require expensive, heavy cooling systems needed for today’s battery packs, allowing vehicle makers to further reduce costs.

“We’re not just focused on the cost of (a battery) cell, but the cost of the overall vehicle,” she said.

The challenges of developing solid-state batteries include poor performance in cold weather and the battery pack’s tendency to expand.

Mercedes chief technology officer Markus Schäfer said Factorial’s solid-state batteries could provide a 40% improvement in energy density over the German premium carmaker’s existing high-performance batteries.

This would enable Mercedes to either shrink EV battery pack size — batteries are an EV’s most expensive and heaviest component — or provide long-range electric cars for those who want them.

He added that lighter batteries would allow Mercedes to use steel for EV bodies instead of far more expensive and carbon intensive high-strength aluminium.

Mercedes is also working with Taiwanese battery maker ProLogium, in which it has invested, on solid-state batteries and is researching high-silicon anodes as an alternative solution to increase EV battery density.

“There are some challenges that you have to get under control, but ... we have great engineering solutions to address them,” Schäfer said, adding he believed Factorial’s goal of developing Solstice at scale by the end of the decade was realistic.

Reuters