StoreDot, a fast-charge battery tech company, recently revealed that mass production of solid-state batteries for cars is at least ten years away. In the interim, the Israel-based startup believes global automakers should consider semi-solid batteries.
While solid-state batteries promise cost-effective fast and safe charging as well as high energy density, StoreDot contends that they are still a work in progress and face significant challenges before they can be manufactured at a massive scale.
The company’s CEO Dr. Doron Myersdorf stated:
It’s crucial that leading battery developers like StoreDot give global automotive manufacturers a realistic and hype-free roadmap for the introduction of extreme fast-charging battery technologies. Right now, despite some of the bullish claims by our rivals, all-solid-state batteries are still at least 10 years away. They are certainly no silver bullet for any vehicle maker currently developing fast charging electric vehicle architectures.
The company executives believe that introducing semi-solid-state batteries, which StoreDot hopes to mass produce by 2028, is a more practical step. According to Myersdorf, these will be advanced, safe, and high-performance cells capable of charging up to 100 miles of range (161 kilometers) in just three minutes.
Furthermore, they have the advantage of requiring a simpler and less difficult manufacturing process than pure solid-state technologies. Solid electrolytes are used in solid-state batteries rather than liquid or polymer gel electrolytes used in lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries.
The company believes that the developmental simplicity of semi-solid-state batteries can reach huge dividends for the electric vehicle (EV) arena, and is an important evolutionary step before the development of solid-state technology.
