Samsung has announced that it is developing an ultra-fast charging solid-state battery for the automotive industry. This battery offers a range of 965 km, has a lifespan of 20 years and can be charged in just 9 minutes. We see solid-state batteries possibly taking over in the not-too-distant future. Or at least that’s what experts believe.
Until now, the main challenges for electric vehicles have been reducing charging time and increasing range. This is where solid-state (SS) batteries come into play. Recently, several technology industry leaders have stepped up their efforts to develop solid-state batteries.
Well yes, in the Expo SNE Battery Day 2024 in Seoul, South Korea, Samsung presented its latest innovation in batteries, a solid-state oxide battery designed specifically for electric vehicles and, in addition, with revolutionary features, as we are telling you.
This is the battery that Samsung is developing
The solid state battery of Samsung It offers the typical advantages of this type of battery, such as lower weight and greater safety thanks to better thermal stability. But perhaps most impressive is its energy storage capacity, which reaches around 500 watt-hours per kilogram, almost double the energy density of the batteries used in most current electric vehicles. In practice, this could translate into a range of around 965 km on a single charge. What, how do you feel?
In fact, Samsung is already collaborating with major car manufacturers to integrate this solid-state battery technology into the electric vehicles of the future. Samsung and Toyota have agreed to begin mass production of these batteries in 2027, and Toyota has announced that in its high-end range, Lexuswill be among the first to benefit from this technology.
However, if this sounds too good to be true, that’s because there’s a considerable challenge. Not everything is so pretty, obviously. These ultra-fast-charging batteries require significant advanced infrastructure to achieve the promised nine-minute charging time. For example, in China, where EV manufacturers offer similar charging speeds, 480kW or even 600kW chargers do exist, although such charging stations are rare even there.
The real challenge, therefore, is not the viability of this technology, but how quickly the ultra-fast charging infrastructure can be expanded to make it available to everyone. Then there is the question of cost. Currently, solid-state batteries for electric vehicles are much more expensive to manufacture than lithium-ion and LFP batteries. In fact, they cost about three to four times as much.
But who can say for sure that in the next 20 years, or maybe even sooner, solid-state batteries will become the standard for electric vehicles? We see it that way too.
