Four-digit range

In the EQS: Mercedes tests solid-state batteries here!

(Bild: Mercedes-Benz)

The solid-state battery could be the next big leap in e-car technology. Mercedes is already working on series production.

Mercedes expects the solid-state battery to give electric cars a range of more than 1000 kilometers. The Stuttgart-based company is currently testing the technology on board a modified Mercedes EQS on the road.

Mercedes patent as a game changer
The lithium-metal solid-state cells come from US manufacturer Factorial Energy; Mercedes has developed and patented a floating cell carrier for integration into the series vehicle. Pneumatic actuators are intended to compensate for the change in volume of the cells during charging and discharging. This could solve one of the biggest problems on the way to series production of the technology.

On the one hand, solid-state cells are considered to be particularly safe as they do not require liquid and flammable electrolytes. At the same time, the switch to a solid electrolyte enables the use of new anode materials that increase the energy density of the battery. Mercedes is talking about a range increase in the region of 25 percent. The weight of the battery is also reduced.

In the coming months, Mercedes intends to further test the solid-state battery and its overall performance in an electric vehicle with extensive laboratory and road tests. The company is not saying anything about the timing of a possible series launch.

In addition to Stuttgart, other car manufacturers such as Nissan, Toyota and Hyundai are also working on solid-state technology. It is expected to hit the road towards the end of the decade, probably initially in higher-class passenger car models.