Mercedes-Benz and Factorial, a self-proclaimed industry leader in solid-state battery research, have announced their latest breakthrough in EV battery tech with a new ‘Solstice’ pack that promises to deliver an enormous range – by the end of the decade.
The next-generation solid-state battery (SSB) is said to offer an energy density of up to 450Wh/kg. That means it promises to be much more compact, lighter and safer than the current lithium-ion packs used in today’s electric vehicles.
Factorial claims that the high energy density of its Solstice packs can extend EV range by around 80 per cent compared to what is on the market today. This means brands, such as its collaborators and investors Mercedes-Benz, will target in excess of 600-miles of vehicle range before the batteries run dry.
(Image credit: Factorial)
This will bring the next generation of electric passenger cars on par with even the most frugal petrol and diesel offerings. But we are not due to see Factorial’s innovations embedded into a vehicle that we can actually buy until the end of the 2020s.
