ARPA-E has funded over a dozen projects in the area of solid-state batteries & ionically conducting separators. Ten years in, there have been successes and failures and in addition, the world as we see it now is very different than it was ten years ago. EV sales have momentum, Lithium-ion performance continues to improve and the cost has come clattering down. Where does the promise of solid-state stand today in terms of energy density, safety, and cost? How well are the solid-state technologies doing against other key metrics such as cycle life, low-temperature performance, and charge time?

Increasing battery demand and requirements towards high-performance cells are pushing Lithium-ion technology to its limits. Recent developments in solid-state technology have led to a high level of media attention, and both start-ups and large cell manufacturers are intensively working on the industrialization of their next-generation technology as a major challenge. The competitiveness of currently leading players regarding technology, scalability, and costs aspects will be evaluated and discussed in the presentation.

We will explore how the many developments, announcements, and funding approaches have led to increasing interest in solid-state batteries. This talk will cover the leaders doing developments in solid-state batteries and the current progress toward commercialization. Some of the challenges are becoming better understood and many remain in launching this technology. It is still to be determined how competitive solid-state large format batteries are and getting the approvals needed for use in automotive. Market forecasts have been developed by end-use applications will be covered through 2030.

Solid-state batteries have received a great deal of attention as a leading contender for future use in electric vehicles. This talk will detail potential benefits for automotive applications, as well as discuss many of the remaining challenges to reach widespread adoption.

For over a decade, Blue Solutions has proven that solid-state batteries can be manufactured and successfully used in vehicle and stationary applications. Long-lasting, safe, reliable all-solid-state batteries are challenging to make. Successfully designing and operating high-quality manufacturing processes necessary for the solid-state ‘giga-factories’ is demanding. We review Blue Solutions' all-solid-state battery design, new applications, and discuss the future product for passenger vehicles.

Employing solid electrolytes (SEs) for lithium-ion batteries can boost the battery tolerance under abusive conditions and enable the implementation of bipolar cell stacking, leading to higher cell energy and power density as well as simplified thermal management. In this context, a bipolar solid-state battery (SSB) has received ever-increasing attention in recent years. However, poor solid–solid interfacial contact within the bipolar SSB deteriorates the battery power capability, representing a technical challenge for vehicle applications. In this presentation, a bipolar SSB pouch cell is demonstrated with the assistance of an in-situ-formed nonflowing gel electrolyte at particle-to-particle interfaces. The constructed bipolar cell manifests superior power capability and can meet the engineering cold crank requirements in 0, −10, and −18 °C environments. The above salient features suggested that the developed strategy herein holds promise to advance the next-generation high-performance SSBs.

In light of recent developments in energy storage technologies, solid-state batteries (SSBs) have become an inevitable part of the roadmap for EV industry. Advanced theoretical promises of solid-state technology in this area including tackling range anxiety, easy manufacturing, and improved safety are among the main enablers for R&D of such materials. However, maturity level of this technology is yet following behind the propulsion system demands. In this presentation, the potential advantages, expectations, and challenges of SSBs will be discussed from Stellantis’s perspective.

The search for a next-generation solution is now a focus for many automakers, and solid-state batteries (SSB) are one of the more promising solutions. In order to be ready for the potential shift to this newer technology Mercedes has actively been involved in the research and development of SSB technology and its potential impact on the production and design of vehicles, as well as the production of the technology itself.

In view of the rapid transformation of the transportation sector towards electric vehicles, the demand for safe, high-performance, and low-cost batteries is steadily increasing. Solid-state batteries have the potential to increase both safety and energy beyond that of current Li-ion technologies. The integration of these batteries on a system-level remains challenging, however, solid-state batteries often require high temperatures and/or pressures for operation. Additionally, they exhibit large volume expansion when Lithium metal is used as an anode. This presentation highlights the potentials and challenges from the automotive perspective.

The largest challenge to realize the full potential of solid-state technology is optimal achievement of ALL the benefits of the technology in cells without compromising one benefit for another. ION’s solid-state platform solves this challenge by combining both SSE materials innovation and its unique cell architecture. ION’s CTO Dr. Gregory Hitz will explain why the company’s solid-state platform is an uncompromising solution for EV’s in preparation for TWh scale growth.  

To enable societal decarbonization in a meaningful way, highly performing, practical, and sustainable battery technologies beyond current Li-ion systems are increasingly being pursued. At the forefront of these emerging technologies, solid-state batteries stand out as they have the potential to offer enhanced energy and power densities, system efficiency, and safety. These promised improvements are owed to the use of highly conducting solid-state electrolyte SSE materials that eliminate the use of volatile electrolyte solvents and can have the potential to be compatible with a wide variety of desired electrode materials. [1,2,3] However, the creation of SSEs that can function in a highly optimal fashion in the battery system represents an elusive goal. In this presentation, we will discuss our efforts pertaining to designing and demonstrating new solid-state electrolytes materials that offer advantages over the current materials systems. We also will outline remaining key challenges and offer future perspectives.

With the exception of the recent regrowth of lithium iron phosphate, the cathode materials used for lithium-ion batteries containing liquid electrolytes have been following a relatively predictable pathway for the last decade. Efforts to increase energy density are stifled by system constraints imposed by other components. The transition to solid-state will facilitate use of novel high voltage, conversion, and other lower-cost, more environmentally benign options for the cathode. This presentation will look at the current state of the cathode market and how it can be transformed, providing opportunities for existing companies and start-ups entering the space.

QuantumScape is on a mission to revolutionize energy storage and drive the transition to cleaner energy systems. Its solid-state Lithium metal battery technology is designed to be longer range, faster charging, and more cost-effective than Lithium-ion batteries. In this talk, we explain the latest developments in Lithium metal technology that have the potential to power a lower-carbon future.

Replacement of the liquid electrolyte by a solid (Solid-State Battery, SSB) is known as a promising next-generation technology with the possibility to move the practical upper limits of Li-ion performance into acceptable ranges for most applications. However, demonstration of high-quality SSB devices is not commonplace, often limited by accessible capacity, rapid-cycle fading, etc. The origin of these limitations is driven by the need for better materials and processing. Umicore is a materials company supplying to the Li-ion industry and is actively researching several advanced battery concepts. This talk will highlight some activities around materials for SSB at Umicore.

Polymer Matrix Electrolyte (PME™) is an electrochemical cell technology-agnostic polymer-backbone electrolyte that enables manufacturing of cells (and batteries thereof) using an enhancement of conventional li-ion battery processing. In this presentation, results of solvated PME cell performances and projections based on current results will be shared.  In addition, a first-time introduction of methodologies that can reduce processing time, process steps and cost during cell assembly will be shared.

Promising higher energy density, longer driving range, and increased safety at a lower overall pack cost, the introduction of solid-state battery cells in passenger EVs is eagerly awaited by both automakers and consumers. Leading all-solid-state cell developer Solid Power plans to send prototype EV cells for automotive qualification testing in 2022 — a significant step towards the company's goal to commercialize all-solid-state EV batteries by 2026. In this presentation, we will update the audience on Solid Power’s path to market and automotive qualification progress.  

Solid-state batteries are among the most promising options for the future of EVs, given they are safe, cost-effective, and more energy dense. But unlocking that future is more than a technical challenge. Rather, it involves solving the supply chain, attracting & retaining talent, and avoiding single-source/exclusive contracts. It’s hard as a technology company in a competitive industry to see the forest for the trees, but addressing these as an industry will be important to the long-term success of solid-state. This presentation shows how.

As EV demand growing, the industry is seeking the next generation battery and solid state battery is considered the most promising one due to high safety, high energy density and low cost advantages. In this talk, ProLogium will highlight its enabling solid state battery technology progress, competitiveness with peers and the omni solution for commercializing EV application.

Continued commercialization of electric vehicles in the transportation industry relies upon the development of high-energy-density batteries. Lithium metal anodes afford the highest theoretical capacity and lowest electrochemical potential, which offers the highest specific energy density. Changes in Lithium metal anode dimensions due to dendrite growth and formation of high surface area Lithium are problematic to performance. This presentation covers sources of volume change and methods to measure it.

One of the earliest efforts to introduce solid electrolyte batteries into electric vehicles was the development of the Na/S battery at Ford Motor Company in which a polycrystalline beta-alumina solid electrolyte was used to separate molten sodium and molten sulfur. Although the high operating temperature precluded its use in EVs, this effort launched innovative work in the field of solid electrolytes. PolyPlus Battery Company has developed next-generation batteries based on both polycrystalline and glassy electrolytes. This talk will address the advantages and challenges of both and how to navigate a path to a solid-state battery future.

All solid-state batteries with silicon and Lithium metal anodes offer the possibility of safe high energy rechargeable batteries. Li metal has been considered as an ideal anode for high-energy rechargeable Li metal batteries while Li nucleation and growth at the nano scale remains mysterious as to achieving reversible stripping and deposition. A few decades of research have been dedicated to this topic and we have seen breakthroughs in novel electrolytes in the last few years, where the efficiency of Lithium deposition is exceeding 99.9% efficiency. Here, cryogenic-transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM/Cryo-FIB) was used to reveal the evolving nanostructure of Li deposits at various transient states in the nucleation and growth process, in which a disorder-order phase transition was observed as a function of current density and deposition time. More importantly, complementary techniques such as titration gas chromatography (TGC) reveal important insights about the phase fraction of solid electrolyte interphases (SEI) and electrochemical deposited Li (EDLi). I will show showcase how innovative characterization for all solid-state batteries can be designed to probe buried interphases, and offer new insights to accelerate the innovation of novel energy storage materials and architectures. 

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) are often promoted as the solution to safety over current Li-ion batteries. The replacement of the flammable liquid electrolyte with a stable solid electrolyte is assumed to improve safety and allow for high-energy-density electrodes. This talk will highlight our calorimetry studies on SSB components and microcells (4 mAh), and the subsequent materials characterization probing potential reaction pathways.

This presentation introduces workflows that combine high-resolution X-ray microscopy and computed tomography to generate detailed three-dimensional visualization of the inside of rechargeable battery cells, without destroying them, to enable the study of their internal structure before and after charging/discharging cycles. These workflows can speed up development time, increase cost-effectiveness, and simplify failure analysis and quality inspection of solid-state batteries and other cells built with new emerging energy materials.