Mercedes-Benz has begun road testing of an electric car equipped with a next-generation solid-state battery, the company announced this week.
Its lithium-based solid-state battery, built with battery partner Factorial, “boosts range by 25% (targeting ~1,000 km/620 miles) with the potential to increase range by up to 40%,” the company says.
What Is a Solid-State Battery?
Today’s electric vehicles (EVs) nearly all rely on lithium-ion batteries, like those in cell phones and laptops. Those batteries have pushed EVs to 9.1% of all cars sold in the U.S., but they have serious limitations.
The bulk of all batteries is an energy storage medium called an electrolyte. In lithium-ion cells, this electrolyte is a heavy gel.
Related: What Is a Solid-State Battery?
Researchers have developed alternative electrolytes that are largely solid, and much lighter. They’re less prone to fire when damaged, store more energy in the same space, and charge faster. Used in cars, their lighter weight could also serve to drastically increase range.
No automaker has yet developed a solid-state battery that is easy to mass-produce. Most require laboratory-like dry conditions that are difficult to replicate on the scale of a large factory.
Related: How Solid-State Batteries Could Shape Our EV Future
Should an automaker solve that problem, they could theoretically produce lighter EVs with longer ranges that charge faster and are safer in accidents. With longer range possible between charging sessions, widespread use of solid-state batteries could lighten the load a nation full of EVs would place on electricity grids.
Mercedes One of Many Racing To Be First
Mercedes and Factorial say they now have a working prototype battery in a modified EQS sedan. “Over the next few months, Mercedes-Benz will further test the solid-state battery and its overall performance in an electric vehicle with extensive laboratory and road tests,” the pair have announced.
That puts them in competition with…pretty much the entire automotive industry. Most recently, Hyundai teased the reveal of a solid-state battery, likely in March.
BMW, Toyota, and Stellantis all have prototypes that are in various stages of testing. Nissan had positioned itself as the front-runner, teasing a solid-state battery that could debut in the next GT-R as soon as 2028.
However, much about Nissan’s future is in doubt as it reconfigures after calling off a planned merger with rival Honda.