[Courtesy of Samsung SDI]
Solid-state batteries enable faster charging, higher voltage and longer cycle life. Solid-state electrolytes are non-flammable and ensure the safe operation of lithium metal batteries. However, challenges to widespread adoption include energy and power density, durability, material costs, sensitivity and stability.
Samsung SDI said it succeeded in designing and synthesizing solid electrolytes while developing all-solid battery prototypes with high safety and the highest energy density in the industry. The company broke ground for a pilot line at its research center in Suwon to verify production technology and secure mass-production technology.
For its new "S-Line," Samsung SDI said it would introduce electrode plates and solid electrolyte process facilities dedicated to solid-state batteries, as well as cell assembly facilities that facilitate ion transfer inside the battery. "The construction of the S-Line will serve as a cornerstone for Samsung SDI to stand as a true No. 1 company by strengthening its technological competitiveness," CEO Choi Yoon-ho said in a statement on March 14.
Battery suppliers are trying to develop cheaper, more efficient, and more powerful batteries. Samsung researchers developed a prototype pouch cell for high-performance, long-lasting all-solid-state batteries in 2020. Samsung has said that the prototype pouch cell would enable an electric vehicle to travel up to 800 kilometers (407 miles) on a single charge.
In September 2021, LGES, the battery-making wing of South Korea's LG Group developed innovative technologies that can advance the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries that use composite-type solid electrolytes, using micro-sized silicon particles which are comparatively cheap and easy to use.
South Korea's Hyundai auto group has vowed to seek the pilot production of electric vehicles installed with solid-state batteries in 2025. In October 2021, Hyundai partnered with Factorial Energy, a U.S. solid-state cell technology developer, to develop all-solid-state batteries.
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