.jpg)
Mercedes-Benz and its battery development partner Factorial have announced a breakthrough in solid-state battery technology.
The pair are working to produce ‘Solstice’ battery cells it claims will improve electric car range by as much as 80 per cent. That could see a Mercedes-Benz EQS450+ fitted with the same size and weight battery pack it is today capable of covering over 1200km on a charge.
The key to this is the huge advancement in energy density solid state batteries promise. Mercedes-Benz is claiming an eventual energy density of 450Wh/kg, a circa-80 per cent improvement on a Tesla Model Y’s ‘4680’ battery cell.
Game changing electric car battery breakthrough shows China has won the EV battle: 2025 MG to feature solid state batteries years ahead of Toyota and Nissan
The race for a solid state car battery breakthrough is on - here's who could win it
All the breakthrough car battery tech that'll alter electric cars forever and could produce a game changing Toyota LandCruiser electric 4WD and Nissan GT-R. But where are Tesla and BYD?
Solid state batteries use a 'solid', or ‘dry’, cathode in place of a gel or liquid found in current items. Not only is this a more efficient solution, there is also a dramatic improvement in safety, according to Mercedes-Benz and Factorial.
Additionally, solid-state batteries are more stable at operating temperatures over 90 degrees Celsius so there are less cooling requirements.
With higher energy density, greater efficiency and less cooling needed, the benefits solid-state batteries promise are huge. Every aspect becomes less energy intense, smaller and lighter — that is, if the tech can be scaled up affordably.
While Factorial and Mercedes-Benz expect prototypes to begin testing on the road as soon as 2026, full OEM integration is expected before the end of this decade — think 2028-2030 before you can buy an electric Mercedes-Benz with this technology.
Using all of its aerodynamic nous, Mercedes-Ben revealed the EQXX concept, a sleek sedan previewing a future C-Class that is capable of travelling over 1000km from a charge using current battery technology.
Taking learnings from the long-tail EQXX and combining them with new, more compact batteries and higher-voltage electrical architecture could see Mercedes-Benz cars crest 1200km charge this decade, potentially driving ahead of key rivals such as Audi, BMW, BYD and Tesla.
Mercedes-Benz is not the only OEM racing to develop solid-state batteries. Toyota and Nissan have pledged solid-state technology will be ready for production by 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Meanwhile, in China, GWM has produced test solid-state cells in small sample sizes and now needs to figure out how to scale the production.
Car making giant SAIC — owner of MG and LDV — has put the technology partially into production, with semi-solid state batteries boosting its IM L6 sedan’s rated driving range beyond 1000km from a charge in China's more lenient CLTC protocol.
Price affordability and production scale remain the two key issues standing in the way of solid state batteries today, however the OEMs in the race believe they will be on top of these issues by the end of this decade.
_0.jpg)
.jpg)
