The automotive industry is spending billions in the double or even triple-digit range on the development of new technologies. The range, safety and service life of the Li-ion technology currently on the market are to be significantly increased. Solid-state batteries and sodium batteries are being discussed. The main aim of solid-state technology is to increase safety and range. It would also be possible to shorten the charging time. An electric car could have a range of 1000 km and recharge the battery in a maximum of 15 minutes. These are promising goals, but the development of solid-state batteries is still in its infancy. Without going into detail, many people are wondering whether this could be done faster. The fact is that battery development usually takes decades of research and development before a new technology actually comes onto the market. One of the reasons for this is that the right materials have to be found to work together. And that is extremely difficult and time-consuming. The origins of the lithium-ion battery date back to 1970 and the first lithium-ion batteries came onto the market in 1990.
Sodium batteries offer much less range, but are cheaper to produce than lithium-ion batteries. This offers price advantages over lithium systems. Sodium batteries are most comparable to lithium iron phosphate batteries (LiFePO4). Because the materials required are cheaper than with lithium-ion technology, their use for electric cars in the lower price segment will be interesting, albeit with a shorter range. CATL, the world's largest battery manufacturer, is already running series production.
Hyundai filed a patent for solid-state batteries in the USA on December 28, 2023. The patent filed by the Korean car manufacturer for an “all-solid-state battery system provided with pressurizing device” could mark an important step for e-mobility. For the development, Hyundai is cooperating with the American company Factorial Energy, which already has a partnership with Mercedes. This is just one example of the many alliances that have been formed around the e-mobility race. It will certainly be at least another 10 years before a really interesting alternative for lithium-ion batteries comes onto the market. We will keep you up to date.