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Why some automakers still see solid-state batteries as a ‘game-changer’

Auto and battery manufacturers gave an update on efforts to scale solid-state battery tech at Detroit’s Battery Show.
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4 min read

Solid-state batteries have long been seen as something of a holy grail for the EV sector because of the technology’s benefits, from higher energy density to lower fire risk.

Bringing them to the masses, however, has proved challenging as battery makers struggle to scale the technology. But numerous companies are still determined to make it happen—and claim EVs powered by solid-state batteries could be on the road by the end of the decade.

The question of timing, and how exactly solid-state battery companies and their automotive partners plan to scale the technology, was a hot topic at the Battery Show in Detroit this week, where thousands of industry professionals convened to talk shop.

“From Nissan’s perspective, we believe solid-state batteries will be a game-changer technology for EV,” Dianne Atienza Hay, manager of Nissan Technical Center North America, said during a panel discussion. “We have a lot of challenges, but it is very important for us to get this technology tested, certified, and to the vehicle by fiscal year 2028.”

Case study: Among the contenders trying to make solid-state battery-powered EVs a reality is Massachusetts-based Factorial Energy. Emlen Fischer, Factorial’s chief finance and business officer, told us he sees solid-state batteries initially being used in large and premium vehicles that would benefit from the weight reductions the tech enables.

Take, for example, FEST, Factorial’s inaugural battery platform. It pairs a lithium metal anode with a high-capacity cathode and “quasi-solid electrolyte technology,” meaning it’s not completely solid. But Factorial’s next-gen product, Solstice, is slated to be an all-solid-state battery.

FEST can reduce the weight of an EV’s battery pack by up to 40% and is targeting over 600 miles of range on a single charge, according to Factorial.

One of the major advantages of solid-state batteries is higher energy density. So, automakers could use the tech to boost battery range—or make the vehicle lower cost and lighter. These considerations are relevant as the EV sector weathers a slowdown in demand, in part due to affordability and charging concerns, that’s throwing production plans out of whack.

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Cost is especially critical because batteries make up about one-third of the cost of today’s EVs.

“Major innovations like solid-state batteries…could, in the coming years, be a game-changer for the industry,” Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a research note, “as solid-state batteries are expected to allow carmakers to pack in even more energy, for the same amount of weight, than a conventional battery.”

Fischer noted that a lighter battery could enable car designers to make different choices.

“I think that’s really compelling in this environment,” he said. “It’s not just the lowest cost of the cell. It’s what builds the lowest-cost, highest-value EV. And that’s where solid state will play. We’ll start at that premium, large vehicle part of the market. And then as the technology matures, it can go much broader.”

Factorial notched a significant milestone earlier this year when it began delivering B-samples of its battery cells to Mercedes-Benz. Factorial is targeting 2028 for high-volume production of its quasi-solid-state battery, Fischer said.

Meanwhile, the company is pressing ahead on developing Solstice in partnership with Mercedes-Benz. Factorial has also publicly announced development agreements with Stellantis, Kia, and Hyundai.

Frederik Morgenstern, senior battery technology engineer at BMW Group, said that mass adoption of solid-state batteries will require the tech not only to match today’s mainstream technology, but surpass it in some areas.

“If you say, ‘I have a new technology,’” he said, “you need to have a technological edge that’s large enough that it’s worth it to get rid of the existing technology.”

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