What is a Solid-State Battery?
Nov 15, 2022 7:01 am
What is a Solid-State Battery?
1 min read
Solid-state batteries are batteries with solid electrolytes – the materials that help electrons move between the two electrodes in a battery. This has many added benefits as opposed to lithium-ion batteries. The main targeted application for this technology is cars and phones but can also be used in boats, camper vans, airplanes, pacemakers and smartwatches.
Michael Farraday first discovered solid electrolyte technology in the 1800s, so why are solid-state batteries still not a reality? The production process requires very dry conditions and complex machinery which have not yet been developed. Keeping the factory in these conditions and acquiring this calibre of machinery is also very costly. Solid-state battery manufacturing is also difficult to scale because of the little knowledge on the technology.
There is, however, plenty of investment in the technology. Samsung, QuantumScape and Toyota all claim to have solid-state battery breakthroughs.
VW acquired a 5% stake in QuantumScape and Johnson Battery Technologies sold its solid-state batteries to BP. Solid Power partnered with BMW in 2017 and Ford in 2019 to test the use of solid-state batteries in EVs. Hyundai is working with solid-state battery company Ionic Materials on a similar project.
VW estimates mass production of solid-state battery cars by 2024 and Toyota by 2025. Toyota has over 1 000 solid-state battery patents. It is estimated that the potential market for solid-state batteries is expected to grow to over $6 billion by 2030.
What do you think of solid-state batteries? Will we see them in the near future? Share your thoughts by replying to this email!
For more information on solid-state batteries or any other energy related articles, view the blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9am CAT.
Get your load shedding schedules here: Municipal Loadshedding schedules - Distribution (eskom.co.za)
Latest fuel prices: Fuel Pricing - AA
Nightclub collecting body heat as energy
