(Oct 23): Stellantis NV plans to operate a test fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) powered with solid-state batteries in two years’ time, taking a step towards potential commercialisation of a technology that’s aimed at improving EV performance.
The automaker will launch a demonstration fleet of battery-powered Dodge Charger Daytona vehicles using solid-state cells made by Factorial Energy, the Woburn, Massachusetts-based startup told Bloomberg.
“This is a very critical step for them to test in a real world condition,” Siyu Huang, chief executive officer at Factorial Energy, said. The company aims to start mass production of its battery cells as soon as 2029, she added.
Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte and the separator, which are both flammable, in a conventional lithium-ion battery with a solid separator made of ceramic, glass or polymers. They promise reduced charging times, longer driving ranges and no fire risk.
But no automaker has begun sales of EVs with solid state batteries yet and tests remain limited in scope and scale.
Stellantis, which is an investor in Factorial, previously announced plans to introduce a solid-state battery in 2026, but had not disclosed further details. Mercedes-Benz Group AG is also an investor in Factorial, which has raised US$250 million (RM1.08 billion) so far, along with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Corp, Huang said.
The planned road tests of Stellantis vehicles — starting with Dodge but expanding to some of the carmaker’s other key brands — are to be conducted in the US, but Factorial didn’t specify where or how many vehicles will be involved.
Shares of Stellantis rose 1.7% to US$13.34 as of 10.46am in New York.
The startup’s latest battery cell has an energy density of more than 390 watt-hours per kilogramme, which would be higher than China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd’s Qilin condensed solid-state battery showcased in 2023.
Volkswagen AG earlier this year said it had achieved positive results with a prototype vehicle powered by a solid-state battery from partner QuantumScape Corp. Other automakers dabbling independently in solid-state battery technology research include China’s BYD Co and Nissan Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp.
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