Solid Power, one of several companies engaged in the development of solid-state batteries, said today that it will be ready to ship Silicon EV Cells to its automotive partners before the end of the year.
Working with BMW and Ford, the cells will be intended for internal testing and qualification. Just the latest step on the road to mass-producing the next-generation batteries, Solid Power’s CEO, Doug Campbell, said he is encouraged by the progress the company has made.
“The installation of this EV cell pilot line will allow us to produce EV-scale cells suitable for initiating the formal automotive qualification process,” said Campbell in a statement. “Over the coming quarters, we will work to bring the EV cell pilot line up to its full operational capability and look forward to delivering EV-scale all-solid-state cells to our partners later this year.”
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Solid Power expects to be able to make up to 15,000 large-format sulfide-based cells per year once its pilot line is running at full capacity. Campbell said in an interview with Reuters, though, that the company’s long-term goal is not to be a cell producer.
Instead, the pilot line is intended to confirm that the cells can be produced on existing lithium-ion cell production lines. It will then work with partners, such as SK Innovation, which is building a joint-venture cell plant in Tennessee with Ford, to produce batteries at a large enough scale to supply automakers.
Solid Power’s Silicon EV Cells are intended to provide vehicles with more range at a lower cost, with a significantly reduced risk of fires. It is hardly the only company competing in the race to create the next-generation battery technology.
“We’re in a space among a lot of very prominent and credible players,” Campbell acknowledged, adding that Solid Power is racing “big boys – groups like Toyota, Panasonic, Samsung, LG Energy Solution, Hyundai, and CATL.”
Its partner BMW seems confident in the technology, though. The automaker has promised to release a demonstrator vehicle using solid-state batteries well before 2025.