As automakers explore other options, such as semi-solid state batteries, the excitement around commercialising solid-state battery technology for electric vehicles is fading.
Solid-state batteries are often touted as the future for EVs because of their safety, efficiency and quicker charging times. However, they still face significant challenges.
Some experts and manufacturers have turned their attention towards semi-solid state batteries which could offer a practical solution for the near future.
Solid-state batteries: Issues and concerns
Solid-state lithium-ion battery differs from the conventional Li-ion battery by using a solid instead of liquid electrolyte.
These chargers promise to deliver greater safety, lower cost, and faster charging.
Experts are growing increasingly skeptical about the viability of solid-state batteries, despite initial excitement and significant investments.
The swelling that occurs when charging the batteries is a major problem. This causes the cells to degrade over time.
Julia Poliscanova explains to CNBC how Transport & Environment’s senior director of vehicles and emobility supply chain, Julia Poliscanova.
Solid-state batteries were once very attractive to me five years ago. However, the advances in lithium-ion technologies have made them less appealing.
Semi-solid state batteries: an alternative?
Semi-solid state batteries are a new alternative to solid-state technologies.
These batteries are hybrids that combine liquid and solid electrolytes. They could be a good middle ground between traditional lithium-ion technology and solid-state technologies.
Semi-solid state batteries can solve the problems of swelling and degradation that plague solid-state battery designs.
In China, semi-solid-state battery technology has already been commercialised in some degree.
Nio, a Japanese automaker, has developed semi-solid state batteries that have a range up to 1,000 km.
Ganfeng LiEnergy is a subsidiary of Ganfeng Lithium and produces batteries with a range up to 530 kilometers.
This technology can bridge the gap between older and more modern battery designs, and act as a solution for transition.
Max Reid, Wood Mackenzie’s analyst, said on CNBC that “given the slower demand for EVs in the West, and the problems with solid-state technologies, we may see a shift towards semi-solid-state technology as a practical option this decade.”
Lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are still highly efficient and cost effective, despite the hype around new battery technologies.
They have a well-established supply chain, manufacturing infrastructure and recycling processes of lithium-ion batterys.
These batteries are also the preferred choice of automakers worldwide due to their proven reliability in various industries.
Some people are not convinced that semi-solid state batteries will soon take over.
Michael Widmer is the head of metals at Bank of America Global Research. He told CNBC that “for now, lithium-based battery technology remains the dominant technology for EVs, and this won’t change in the next five to 10 years.”
The transition to solid-state and semi-solid-state batteries is still years away. However, automakers and energy companies are looking for energy storage solutions that are more powerful, efficient and sustainable.
This post is titled Is the solid-state battery hype dying? This post Automakers explore semisolid alternatives for EVs could be modified as new updates unfold
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