Blue Current, a manufacturer of silicon elastic composite solid-state batteries (earlier post), announced a series of technical achievements, expanded partner engagements, and funding. Blue Current continues to carefully expand its investment and industry partnerships. During 2023, new and existing investors, Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), Piedmont Capital, and Umicore, began or... Read more →

Solid Power, a developer of solid-state battery technology, has shipped its first A-sample cells to enter automotive qualification. It is a reflection of our team’s strong execution that we produced and delivered our first A Sample EV cells for BMW a little over a week ago, marking a major milestone... Read more →

QuantumScape (QS) announced that its top-performing 24-layer A0 prototype cell achieved 1,000+ full cycle equivalents with more than 95% discharge energy retention in one of its prospective customer’s battery testing labs. QuantumScape said that it is not aware of any automotive-format lithium-metal battery that has shown such high discharge energy... Read more →

Factorial announced the opening of its new battery manufacturing facility in the Boston suburb of Methuen, Mass. The facility represents a significant step in scaling up the production of Factorial’s solid-state battery technology for EVs. The new facility represents a $50-million investment and is expected to create more than 150... Read more →

A team of researchers from the US and Canada have developed a new lithium-based solid-state electrolyte (SSE) material (Li9N2Cl3) that demonstrates excellent lithium compatibility and atmospheric stability and that enables high–areal capacity, long-lasting all–solid-state lithium metal batteries. An open-access paper on the work is published in Science Advances. The Li9N2Cl3... Read more →

Solid electrolytes with high lithium-ion conductivity can be designed for millimeter-thick battery electrodes by increasing the complexity of their composite superionic crystals, report researchers from Tokyo Tech. This new design rule enables the synthesis of high-entropy active materials while preserving their superionic conduction. As the world transitions towards a greener... Read more →

Idemitsu Kosan and Toyota Motor have entered into an agreement to work together in developing mass production technology of solid electrolytes, improving productivity and establishment a supply chain, to achieve the mass production of all-solid-state batteries for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Through this collaboration, the two companies seek to ensure... Read more →

Ilika, a developer of solid-state battery (SSB) technology, is leading a 16-month, £2.7-million (US$3.3-million) Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) collaboration, partnering with Mpac Group plc (Mpac) and the UK Battery Industrialization Centre (UKBIC). Codenamed SiSTEM and launched 1 October 2023, the project will develop a 1.5MWh SSB assembly line capable of... Read more →

A team led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed a framework for designing solid-state batteries (SSBs) with mechanics in mind. Their paper is published in Science. One of the critical aspects of SSBs is the stress response of their microstructure to dimensional... Read more →

A joint research team from South Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) developed a dry pre-lithiation strategy for the graphite/silicon-based diffusion-dependent electrodes (DDEs) by simply introducing Li metal powder in DDE. The added Li metal powder uniformly and continuously... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will award a total of $16 million to five projects to advance domestic capabilities in solid-state and flow battery manufacturing. Each project represents a collaborative effort between DOE National Laboratories and industry partners to expedite the... Read more →

Sakuu Corporation announced some performance milestones for its licensable Cypress Li-Metal battery cell chemistry (earlier post) designed to integrate seamlessly into today’s roll-to-roll battery manufacturing process: 750–950 Wh/l Energy Density of active cell area 260+ Wh/kg Specific Energy 792 W/kg Specific Power (@ 3C) 3C Sustained Discharge, 10C Peak, with... Read more →

Taiwan-based ProLogium, a developer and manufacturer of next-generation EV solid-state battery solutions selected France as the location for its first large-scale solid-state battery manufacturing plant outside Asia. The European Commission has now given a green light to a €1.5-billion grant from the French government to support ProLogium’s project. (Earlier post.)... Read more →

Lithium-metal solid-state battery company QuantumScape (QS) announced that it is working closely with a prospective launch customer in the automotive sector for the first commercial QS product. QS previously disclosed customer sampling agreements with six automakers and a stationary storage provider as well as product tests with some of the... Read more →

MAHLE and the Taiwan-based battery manufacturer ProLogium have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for developing and evaluating thermal management solutions for next generation solid-state batteries. Solid-state cells are expected to have significant advantages in the future in terms of safety and energy density, which contribute to higher driving ranges and... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group announced the inauguration of its Joint Battery Research Center with Seoul National University (SNU). This collaborative effort between the Group and SNU aims to advance battery technologies and foster industry-academia cooperation to establish global leadership in the battery field. The Joint Battery Research Center began to take... Read more →

A team of researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, led by Matthew McDowell, associate professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering, is using an aluminum-foil-based anode in a solid-state Li-ion battery to create batteries with higher energy density... Read more →

Nissan’s Yokohama Plant produced its 40 millionth engine in June. The Yokohama Plant commenced operations in 1935, two years after Nissan’s founding. It built its 10 millionth engine in 1976, its 20 millionth in 1986 and its 30 millionth in 1997. A number of engines made by the Yokohama Plant... Read more →

Researchers from Technische Universität Darmstadt, Universität Stuttgart, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, and Universität des Saarlandes have developed a two-step recycling approach for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries (lithium ASSBs). The process, which uses citric acid as the leaching agent to separate and recover the individual components, is presented in an open-access paper in the... Read more →

Umicore inaugurated one of the world’s largest and most advanced solid-state battery material prototyping facilities in Olen, Belgium, which will expand and accelerate its innovation and technology development. The initiative acquired strong research expertise with the support of the Flemish government (VLAIO - Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen). Solid-state batteries are... Read more →

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have developed a new pressing method, that produces a more uniform solid electrolyte than the traditionally processed material with more voids. The material can be integrated into a battery system for improved stability and rate performance. When a solid-state battery charges or operates, ions... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced partnering opportunities for industry to work with National Laboratories on manufacturing scale-up and associated verification and validation for flow batteries and solid-state lithium batteries. (DE-LC-0000027.0001) Topic 1. Developing Innovative Solid-State Battery Manufacturing Capabilities: All Topic 1 projects require a cost share of at... Read more →

Factorial, a developer of solid-state battery technology for electric vehicle (EV) applications, has received the UN 38.3 safety certification for its large format automotive solid-state batteries. This makes Factorial the first Li-metal solid-state battery maker to successfully receive certification that covers 100+Ah cell. The UN 38.3 standard is a globally... Read more →

Taiwan-based ProLogium has chosen France as the location for its first large-scale solid-state battery manufacturing facility outside of Taiwan. ProLogium will invest a total of €5.2 billion to set up a 48 GWh gigafactory and an R&D center. This major investment project aims to facilitate supply chain localization, R&D activities,... Read more →

Researchers led by a team at Temple University have developed a soft solid electrolyte—(Adpn)2LiPF6 (Adpn, adiponitrile)—that exhibits high thermal and electrochemical stability and good ionic conductivity, overcoming several limitations of conventional organic and ceramic materials. A paper on their work is published in Nature Materials. Adiponitrile is an organic compound... Read more →

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden is leading a research project targeting a new generation of sulfur-based batteries. The focus of the research project “MaSSiF – Material Innovations for Solid-State Sulfur-Silicon Batteries” is the design, construction and evaluation of lightweight and low-cost sulfur-based prototype cells... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a $16-million lab call (DE-LC-0000027) for proposals to strengthen domestic capabilities in solid-state and flow battery manufacturing. The lab call requires collaboration between DOE National Laboratories and industry partners to accelerate the path from innovation to battery manufacturing scale-up and commercialization. Solid-state lithium... Read more →

Mullen Automotive, an emerging EV manufacturer, has integrated solid-state polymer battery technology into Mullen’s commercial Class 1 EV cargo van program. Currently, the Mullen Class 1 EV cargo van features a 46 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a 110-mile range. It is expected that the solid-state polymer technology will deliver... Read more →

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer high energy efficiency and fuel flexibility, but require high operating temperatures. Although lowering the operating temperature of SOFCs can minimize material degradation and enable the use of less expensive materials, both electrolyte and electrode resistances increase exponentially with decreasing operation temperature. Now, researchers at... Read more →

A team from Technische Universität Darmstadt, Universität Stuttgart, Justus Liebig Universität Gießen, and Universität des Saarlandes have developed a two-step recycling approach using citric acid as the leaching agent to separate and recover the individual components of an all-solid state Li-ion battery cell comprising a Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anode, Li6.5La3Zr1.5Ta0.5O12 (LLZTO)... Read more →

Umicore and Blue Current, a manufacturer of silicon elastic composite solid-state batteries, have agreed to strengthen their collaboration on the development of solid-state battery technology, with Umicore investing a minority stake in the US-based start-up. This investment complements the joint development agreement (JDA) whereby both parties were able to integrate... Read more →

Researchers from the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and Kumoh National Institute of Technology (KIT), have developed a low-cost production technology for silicon disulfide (SiS2) for solid-state electrolytes (argyrodite-type) that has potential to accelerate the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). The team’s findings from the silicon disulfide study were published... Read more →

Following months of promising test results, battery researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are recommending that the solid-state battery industry focus on a technique known as isostatic pressing as it looks to commercialize next-generation solid-state batteries. In an open-access focus review paper for ACS Energy Letters,... Read more →

Researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have developed a lithium-air battery with a solid electrolyte. The battery is rechargeable for 1000 cycles with a low polarization gap and can operate at high rates. A paper on their work is... Read more →

Solid-state battery electrolytes need to be able to transport lithium ions rapidly. This can be achieved by developing a percolating pathway in the solid electrolyte or by increasing the mobility of the carrier ions. However, standard design methods have limited the selection of dopants and complicated the synthesis. Now, researchers... Read more →

Belgian solid-state Lithium battery technology company SOLiTHOR and aerospace company Sonaca signed a bilateral Memorandum of Agreement jointly to develop safe, high-density rechargeable solid-state Lithium battery systems for Regional Aircraft and Urban Air Mobility. This partnership will also expand to satellite systems as well as defense systems. This alliance will... Read more →

Solid-state battery startup QuantumScape, which successfully shipped its first 24-layer prototype A0 lithium-metal battery cells to automotive OEMs for testing in December (earlier post), says that one of its main goals this year is to increase cathode capacity loading to ~5 mAh/cm2. QuantumScape believes that its anode-free lithium-metal design provides... Read more →

Researchers from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Argonne National Laboratory, and the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a room-temperature solid-state lithium-air battery that is rechargeable for 1,000 cycles with a low polarization gap and can operate at high rates. The composite polymer-ceramic solid-state electrolyte enables a four-electron... Read more →

Lithium metal batteries with solid electrolytes are lightweight, inflammable, pack a lot of energy, and can be recharged very quickly, but they have been slow to develop due to mysterious short circuiting and failure. Researchers at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory now report that the root cause of... Read more →

With the keel laying, construction has begun at Next Generation Shipyards in the Netherlands of Neo Orbis, a 20m fuel-cell hybrid port vessel using sodium borohydride as a solid-state hydrogen storage medium. The pilot project is being executed in collaboration with H2Ships, Port of Amsterdam, TU Delft Fuel (the inventor... Read more →

Solid-state battery company Ilika Technologies is leading a 24-month, £8-million (US$9.9-million) Faraday Battery Challenge collaboration project. The HISTORY (HIgh Silicon content anOdes for a solid-state batteRY) project will start on 1 February 2023 and focus on integrating high silicon content electrodes into Ilika’s Goliath SSB (solid state battery) for electric... Read more →

Sakuú, the developer of 3D-printed Swift Print solid-state battery technology (earlier post), has selected Porsche Consulting, a subsidiary of the automotive manufacturer Porsche, to lead all aspects of design for its planned global gigafactories. The relationship will ensure that Sakuú has expertise secured for building gigafactories to meet its 2030... Read more →

Under an expanded Joint Development Agreement, BMW Group and Solid Power have added a research and development license as a basis for their common next steps. This license enables BMW to establish an all solid-state battery (ASSB) prototype line in its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CMCC) in Parsdorf near Munich.... Read more →

A group of researchers from China and Japan has identified a key inhibitor to hydrogen desorption in magnesium hydride (MgH2) solid-state hydrogen storage materials. Details of their findings were published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Currently, hydrogen is stored by three methods: high-pressure gaseous hydrogen storage; low-temperature liquid... Read more →

ION Storage Systems Inc. (ION) will participate in the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) EVs4ALL program as part of a $­4.8-million grant awarded to the University of Maryland (UMD). (Earlier post.) ARPA-E’s EVs4ALL program seeks to increase EV adoption and market share by developing next-generation battery technologies to significantly improve... Read more →

Factorial, a developer of next-generation solid-state battery cells for electric vehicles, previewed a 100 Ah battery cell at CES 2023 in the Stellantis exhibition space. Developed as part of Factorial and Stellantis’ joint development agreement announced in November 2021, this cell results from the two companies’ continued collaboration to bring... Read more →

Researchers at La Sapienza in Rome are proposing silicon-based anodes, composed of micrometric Si, graphite (MAG), LiI-Li3PS4 solid electrolyte (LPSI), and carbon nanofiber (CNF), which can be prepared by straightforward manual grinding. A paper on their work is published in ChemSusChem. The mixture design approach allows the discrimination of the... Read more →

QuantumScape Corporation has shipped its first 24-layer prototype lithium-metal battery cells to automotive OEMs for testing. Delivery of these cells, referred to as A0 samples, was the company’s key public milestone for the year, and achieving this goal represents an important step toward the commercialization of this technology, the company... Read more →

Solid Power, a developer of all-solid-state battery and sulfide-based electrolyte technology, has deepened its partnership with the BMW Group. (Earlier post.) Under an expanded Joint Development Agreement, Solid Power has granted the BMW Group a research and development license to Solid Power’s all-solid-state cell design and manufacturing know-how. The broadened... Read more →

Solid-state sodium-ion battery company LiNa Energy (earlier post) successfully completed an independent demonstration of its lithium-free sodium batteries for energy storage systems with commercial partner ion Ventures. The test was performed independently at HORIBA MIRA and was funded via support from the UK’s Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy... Read more →