Every now and then in every industry, something truly groundbreaking shows up. In the EV industry, Samsung’s new oxide solid-state battery fits that description. it offers faster charging times and longer driving range on a single charge.
Samsung has developed a new, oxide solid-state EV battery that charges fully in just 9 minutes and can power a vehicle for 620 miles. That is roughly 998 kilometers. The current maximum range of EVs on a single charge is about 515 miles and the record holder is the Lucid Air Grand Touring, a super-premium EV that costs $139,650. A jump in range from 515 to 620 miles is significant.
However, more regular electric vehicles have much shorter ranges than this. Your average EV – the affordable models that most EV car owners drive – do between 200 and 450 miles on a single battery charge.
The new oxide solid-state battery technology delivers outstanding energy density of 500 Wh/kg, which is almost double the 270 Wh/kg density of current EV battery technology. This is the secret behind its ability to deliver much longer driving range over other types of EV batteries already in use.
Samsung says it has completed its manufacturing facility to mass produce the new battery and it will start rolling out in 2027. Because the new battery is pricey, it will be seen only in the super premium EV category, for starters. As economies of scale kicks in over time, we will see a drop in price and the new battery will trickle down to lower priced models.
But the company is developing other types of more affordable EV batteries for lower priced segments of the market. It is developing high-nickel NCS EV batteries for the premium segment. And for even more affordable models, it is also developing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and cobalt-free batteries, both of which cost much less to produce. Samsung is definitely not playing around and intends to be a major supplier of batteries for electric vehicles of all classes and prices.
What is a solid-state battery?
A solid-state battery is a type of battery that uses solid electrolytes instead of the liquid or gel electrolytes found in traditional lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries. This solid electrolyte can be made from a variety of materials, including ceramics and sulfides.
Advantages of Solid-State Batteries
- Higher Energy Density: Solid-state batteries can store more energy in the same amount of space compared to traditional batteries. This means longer driving ranges for electric vehicles (EVs) and more power for other applications.
- Improved Safety: The solid electrolytes are less likely to catch fire or explode compared to liquid electrolytes, which are flammable and can be unstable at high temperatures.
- Faster Charging Times: Solid-state batteries can be charged more quickly than traditional batteries. Some prototypes have shown the ability to charge up to 80% in just a few minutes.
- Longer Lifespan: These batteries tend to have a longer cycle life, meaning they can be charged and discharged more times before they start to degrade.
- Reduced Weight and Size: Due to their higher energy density and the nature of solid electrolytes, solid-state batteries can be smaller and lighter, which is particularly beneficial for EVs and portable electronics.
Samsung is not the only company betting on solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. Toyota is developing on it, as well. And so is LG, one of Samsung’s key competitors.
LG, which is one of the major suppliers of EV batteries to Tesla, is developing solid-state batteries and plans to introduce them to the market by 2030. That is three years after Samsung’s battery is expected to go on sale. LG’s solid-state products will also be used in super premium EVs.
Toyota’s solid-state battery is expected in the market within a few years and the Japanese carmakers claims it will charge fully in 10 minutes and have a range of 750 miles (about) 1,200 kilometers. That is ambitious and will leave Samsung’s new battery in the dust, if actualized. And that will be a good thing, again, for the industry. Afterall, what we all want are electric vehicles with faster charging and longer driving range.
You say: “What we all want are electric vehicles with faster charging and longer driving range.” Not really!
The Teslas and Porsches and others do 300 miles of range with ease and that’s enough. And 2/3 of the people own homes and charge overnight once a week, no problem. The straight line acceleration of the heavy EV’s is fantastic, of course.
But what virtually nobody talks about is that every time you drive that EV you have to tolerate the 1000+ lb battery that totally destroys good handling especially on winding mountain roads.
It’s like you always have 4 or 5 beefy defensive linesmen in your back seat! You also feel that excessive weight wallow around every time you cross a residential street intersection!
That’s why we need solid state batteries that hopefully weigh only half as much! I’d much rather be driving a 4000lb car than a 5000 lb car!