A Silicon Valley-based battery tech startup called QuantumScape claims to have created a solid-state EV battery that can allow an electric vehicle to cover 400 miles and then recharge from 10 to 80 percent in just 15 minutes, in a significant potential step forward compared to current charging technologies.
Proponents argue that solid-state batteries are safer and more stable than their lithium-ion counterparts, as they are less prone to catching on fire. They also can cram more energy into the same amount of space — on paper at least — while also allowing drivers to recharge their vehicles faster.
“There are challenges with how you translate energy density demonstrated in a research laboratory cell to a larger cell for practical applications,” Yang Shao-Horn, who is working on battery efficiency tech at MIT’s Electrochemical Energy Lab, told the magazine. “There are physical limitations to energy density.”
Then there’s the fact that solid-state batteries need to breathe and be able to expand. Controlling that pressure is already proving difficult in a lab.
That also means chances of an explosion may also persist when moving away from lithium-ion batteries.
Automakers appear to be convinced that solid-state batteries are the future of the electric vehicle, promising longer ranges and faster recharge times. But the technology is still in its infancy, and plenty of work still needs to be done until we can finally ditch the lithium-ion battery altogether.
