Solid-state batteries will likely be commercialized at a larger scale in non-automotive applications before widespread electric vehicle adoption, Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution said during a media roundtable with reporters at its newly opened Lansing, Michigan, battery plant last week.
You’re probably exhausted from reading all about solid-state battery-powered EVs that sound like they’re about to hit the market but never do. But all the investment and research behind the technology from startups and established players is real. Battery scientists believe solid-state cells can unlock substantially more driving range, improve the cells’ thermal profiles to eliminate fire risks, and charge at blistering speeds.
However, LGES echoed the concerns around its mass manufacturing, saying progress has yet to happen on that front. “The problem with solid state is large-scale production,” Robert Lee, North America president for LGES said. “It has very good energy density, so if you’re making a small form factor, you should be able to get there. If you’re making very large form factors, most companies are struggling,” he added.
Photo by: Stellantis
Lee believes EVs won’t be the first application for mass-market solid-state batteries. “You will see that in your smartphones probably a decade before you would see it in EVs,” he added. “I would expect specialized applications first before we’re able to contemplate that as fit for EVs or even ESS.”
Those specialized applications could be smartphones, drones, and even performance-focused EVs initially. Mercedes-Benz last year covered nearly 750 miles on a single charge in a prototype EQS sedan equipped with American startup Factorial Energy’s semi-solid-state battery. BMW has installed an all-solid-state battery from Colorado startup Solid Power in a prototype i7. And Stellantis is now also testing a semi-solid-state pack in a Dodge Charger Daytona EV. We’re seeing more and more of these batteries come out of the lab, and into real-world testing.
Over in China, the timeline and development speed on solid-state batteries appears to be even more aggressive. BYD, CATL, Geely and several other players are all fiercely racing against each other to begin pilot programs in 2027, followed by wider potential deployment by the end of the decade.
However, advancements in current lithium ion packs will continue to drive progress in EV range and charging performance, LGES said.
The company is working with General Motors to develop lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) batteries. These cells will use far less nickel and cobalt, which are expensive and environmentally damaging to mine, while relying more heavily on manganese, which can be processed in the U.S. GM has said LMR batteries will power its full-size trucks and SUVs from 2028 onward, delivering more than 400 miles of range while costing roughly the same as lower-cost LFP batteries.
Photo by: Patrick George
The Korean battery maker is also working on other next-generation technologies, including more advanced lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion cells.
The company is gearing up to produce its new 46-series lithium-ion cells for EVs at its upcoming gigafactory in Arizona. LGES said these larger-format cells are better suited to next-generation EVs with structural battery packs, while further advancements could eventually enable 10-minute charging times and improve pack safety.
“We just want to have all those options open,” Devon Wilson, the vice president of sales and marketing at LGES Vertech, said. “We continue to look at other chemistries [and] sodium that’s a big one for us,” he said, adding that the company is preparing a pilot program for sodium-ion batteries for energy storage systems.
Chinese battery giant CATL has already raced ahead with the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries, but the U.S. is beginning to catch up, with General Motors also announcing plans to deploy sodium-ion ESS batteries by the end of the decade.
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com