Although the technology is still facing many hurdles, development of solid-state batteries continues by both carmakers and battery makers. That’s because the one that’ll crack the code for a reliable solid-state unit will be responsible for revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) industry to the point of potentially rendering the internal combustion engine (ICE) obsolete.
On paper, solid-state batteries present many benefits, such as quicker charging times, more range, less risk of fire hazards, and smaller packaging, reducing the weight and size of long-range EVs. But, the technology is having difficulty presenting itself as a reliable alternative to the tried and proven lithium-ion design that’s currently dominating the industry. It’s also still very expensive to manufacture. Like many others, Honda is in the solid-state race, and aims to implement the technology in its EVs by the end of this decade. But will it get there?
Honda Is Targeting 620 Miles Of Range From A Solid State By 2030
The main problem with solid-state batteries is their tendency to grow dendrites in the solid electrolyte, causing a short circuit and frying the battery. CATL recently announced a solid-state prototype capable of 500 Wh/kg of energy density from a 20-Ah solid-state cell.
That’s an impressive 40-percent increase in energy density from conventional lithium-ion cells, which ordinarily cap at 350 Wh/kg. However, due to the reliability challenges that come with the technology, even companies specialized in battery tech like CATL are unable to promise mass-production of solid-state batteries before 2027 at the earliest. So, what is Honda doing differently?
The Japanese giant’s approach is to first go small-scale. We’re talking 100 times smaller than your average EV battery. Honda figured that if it could control the dendrite problem on a smaller scale, it can then slowly iterate the battery’s size from there. To mitigate the dendrite problem, Honda developed an innovative way of evenly roll-pressing the puttylike electrolyte in an ultracompact manner to improve reliability, but also manufacturing efficiency.
Honda also engineered its own, in-house, solid electrolyte which completely eliminates its dependency on lithium. The battery also doesn’t require cobalt, or nickel to operate. With this design, Honda aims at releasing an EV by 2030 that’ll be able to drive 620 miles on a single charge. By 2040, Honda envisions the solid-state battery to have improved to the point where an EV can cover more than 700 miles.
Making It Large Enough For An EV Is The Real Challenge
But Honda admits that it’s still far from mass-production. While its targets are ambitious, it admits that increasing the size of its prototype is currently too costly and resource-dense to make any financial sense. But it plans on beginning testing in January and wants to build from there. By 2030, Honda estimates that its solid-state technology will be 50% smaller than current lithium-ion batteries, 35-percent lighter and 25-percent less costly. At the end of the next decade, Honda says solid-states will be 60-percent smaller, 45-percent lighter, and 40-percent less expensive to manufacture.
Such advancements will stimulate the EV market to the point where it could take over as being the dominant mode of propulsion for automobiles, rendering all other technologies such as hydrogen and synthetic fuels obsolete. Improvements in battery technology will also increase consumer confidence in EVs, thus increasing their adoption.
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