Mercedes Benz drives solid-state battery road tests
The first passenger car powered by a lithium-metal, solid-state battery takes to the road in a new testing programme.
The all-electric car from Mercedes Benz was slightly modified to fit the solid-state battery and equipped with all accessories to operate it.
The first laboratory vehicle tests were already conducted in Stuttgart, Germany, at the end of 2024 to prepare for the road tests.
The solid-state battery technology deployed reportedly allows for up to 25% more driving range compared to the same battery weight and size of a corresponding standard liquid-electrolyte-based battery.
Further weight and energy efficiency gains are achieved through passive battery cooling.
The development vehicle is expected to have a range of over 1,000km. For comparison, with a battery capacity of 118 kWh, the current EQS 450+ from Mercedes Benz offers a range of over 800km.
Mercedes-Benz joined forces with Factorial in 2021 to develop a new generation of battery technology. In the summer of 2024, Factorial delivered lithium-metal solid-state battery cells with the company’s proprietary FEST (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) solid-state platforms to Mercedes Benz, which marked the first lithium-metal solid-state battery B sample shipment to a global original equipment manufacturer.
More like this...
