solid-state batteries

In Taiwan, Gogoro has unveiled what is said to be the world’s first swappable lithium ceramic solid-state battery for two-wheelers. Furthermore, a new study tackled a long-held assumption that adding some liquid electrolytes to improve performance would make solid-state batteries unsafe and found them to be more powerful and safer than the conventional lithium-ion chemistry. In the UK, Aston Martin and Britishvolt have inked a deal to develop a new high-performance battery cell technology. Meanwhile, concerns surrounding the EV supply chain continue to grow.

Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with ProLogium to integrate solid-state battery technology into a range of passenger vehicles; Panasonic and Toyota have launched an industrial-academic collaborative research program concerned with battery resources and recycling; and LG Energy Solution plans to spend $2.1 billion with General Motors to build another electric vehicle battery plant in the U.S.

The companies will collaborate on what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind attempt to incorporate QuantumScape’s solid-state lithium-metal battery technology into stationary energy storage products.

Developed by a spin-off of Dutch research institute TNO, the battery is claimed to offer higher energy density, longer lifespan and increased safety compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. It will initially be applied in wearables and electric cars.

A report by the IEA laying out two routes for China to reach net zero attempts to persuade policymakers to gun for that goal by 2050, rather than ten years later, and dangles the prospect of continued global dominance as the main reward on offer.

The German energy storage business has invested an unspecified amount in compatriot Stercom Power Solutions, which offers the ability to transfer electricity, untethered, from a magnetic coil to a receiver coil on the underside of new-energy vehicles.

Scientists in the U.S. used sophisticated imaging techniques to observe previously unknown defects in the crystalline structure of a solid-state electrolyte. The scientists theorize that these defects could play an important role in the electrolyte’s performance, and that designing them more carefully into the material could have impressive results.

US based battery company Solid Power announced that it has received $130 million in new funding from investors including Ford and BMW. With this backing, the company plans to begin pilot scale production of solid-state lithium-ion batteries suitable for electric vehicles early next year.

Scientists in the UK used the latest imaging techniques to visualize and understand the process of dendrite formation and electrolyte cracking in an all solid-state battery. With new insight into the mechanisms by which these cracks form and ultimately lead to battery failure, the results could help direct the focus of future research into solid-state battery technology.

Japanese scientists are about to launch solid-state batteries into space.