Battery specialist Samsung announces a groundbreaking development in electric car batteries. It will still take a while until the new technology is on the road.

Samsung North America headquarters

Samsung promises electric car range of up to 800 kilometers with its solid-state battery. The Korean company also promises a lifespan of more than 1000 charging cycles for the prototype, which means a mileage of up to 800,000 kilometers. Samsung makes no statements regarding the solid electrolyte used.





The timing for the market launch is also not mentioned. The group, which speaks of a “groundbreaking development” in a press release, now wants to continue working on details of the technology, after which production version may be developed. The anode technology used is probably pioneering: silver-carbon is said to prevent crystallization on the anodes.

According to Samsung, the solid-state battery should have an energy density of 900 watt-hours per liter. In comparison, the new battery is 50 percent smaller than a lithium-ion battery.

The solid fuel battery is considered the future battery technology for electric cars. The most important difference to conventional lithium-ion batteries: Instead of the liquid electrolyte, a solid material is used. This increases the energy density, which means more range with the same volume. At the same time, the need for expensive and heavy cooling is eliminated. The technology is also considered to be safer, since accidents cannot lead to persistent fires.

Numerous car manufacturers have already announced that they will work on solid-state batteries. Toyota, for example, wants to present its technology in the run-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Probably a reason for the current Samsung initiative.

The Taiwanese company ProLogium presented a solid-state battery at CES, Mercedes has entered into a cooperation with Hydro-Québec. The large German automotive suppliers Bosch and Continental, on the other hand, have failed with their projects and have given up development.

View press release at Samsung’s website



