Why Everyone Is Racing to Build Solid-State Batteries
Why Is Everyone Trying to Build a Solid-State Battery?
I explore why giants like CATL, BYD, and Samsung are investing billions in solid-state batteries. By replacing flammable liquid electrolytes with solids, these batteries promise higher energy density and safety. I break down the chemistry of lithium reactions and explain how removing heavy material scaffolding could finally make electric vehicles match the range of gasoline cars.
Without this material scaffolding, the reaction can still take place, but in a non-useful way.
- enslavedrobot
Solid state batteries come in several flavours. Most of them don't stop dendrites.
The flavour you want is polymer, single ion conducting solid state with an ion transport activation energy below 10kJ/mol at room temperature and no phase transitions from -40C to 80C.
That is the holy grail of SS batteries.
- qwery
If you know a bit about electronics, you might be a bit surprised by the term 'solid-state battery'. It's a poor analogue to the more common usage of solid-state with semiconductors, integrated circuits, etc. -- a "solid-state" cell is still a chemical cell. It's not a paradigm shift on the level of, say, replacing a relay with a MOSFET.
- GlibMonkeyDeath
The article gives the technical reasons that answer the headline question (e.g. potential for better energy density)
I am surprised they didn't point out the literal "killer app" - military drones. Energy density is king for any airborne power source. And dendrite growth during charge/discharge cycling isn't as big a deal for that application (how many times would you need to charge a disposable weapon?)
- laxisOp
We need way more research on batteries. People cant ingine what is possible if we make battery 10x energy dense.
- wolfi1
fun fact: there is already a Sodium-battery with a solid electrolyte - but the operating temperature is above 300^C [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium%E2%80%93sulfur_battery
- thelastgallon
Aren't sodium batteries close to production and a lot cheaper and safer?
Ambri was working on large scale batteries which seemed like a pretty good idea (looks like they ran out of money): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambri_Inc.
- jsLavaGoat
When titles with rhetorical questions sound almost like dumb questions.
- deckar01
The Two Bit Da Vinci YouTube channel has a good video on solid state battery fundamentals and a deep dive into a battery company (ProLogium) that has demonstrated manufacturing at scale.