Will solid-state batteries meet industry demand?

Experts across the world believe that electric vehicles will sooner or later become the mainstream. They find it a more sustainable form of transport. But on what kind of batteries will these future electric vehicles run? Car makers are preferring the solid state-batteries over the older lithium-ion batteries. Let us find out the difference between them

For years now, electric vehicles have been powered by lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are similar to the ones used in your mobile phones, laptops and other consumer electronics. They use a liquid electrolyte, which makes them not only heavy, but also vulnerable to instability at high temperatures.

A lithium-ion battery uses liquid electrolyte solution, which makes it flammable and raises safety concerns. While a solid-state battery uses solid electrolyte. It has more energy density and is safer due to a lack of flammable liquid in it. Solid-state batteries could prove to be a game-changer for EVs and accelerate the shift away from fossil-fuel-powered personal vehicles. 

Solid-state batteries are not a new technology. They have been in use for years in small devices such as smart watches and pacemakers. It is their use in a heavy-duty application like automobiles that is the new element here.  

But the road leading to green mobility seems to be bumpy. So far, companies have built solid-state li-ion battery cells inside labs and one at a time.  They are far from being manufactured at large-scale. Currently, a solid-state cell costs about eight times more to make than a liquid li-ion battery.

Carmakers will also have to bring the mileage of electric vehicles on par with the gasoline-run vehicles. For that the companies and government will have to invest heavily in research and development of better solid-state batteries.

But the good news is that more and more companies are rushing to get a slice of the electric pie. Companies like Tesla, Ford, Ola and BMW have invested heavily to bring its cost down and make it more feasible. 

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