Despite the Global EV growth reaching 35% year-on-year in 2023 to reach 14.2 million units, issues such as limited range, high upfront costs, and insufficient charging infrastructure are major barriers to widespread EV adoption.
For example, most electric cars can travel an average of 300 km (186 miles) on a single charge. Also, Volvo found that 58% of drivers say range anxiety is a barrier to purchasing an electric car.
While government incentives and advancements in technology are addressing some of these issues, significant challenges remain for EVs to become a mainstream choice for consumers.
To tackle such issues, major advanced battery technology companies like US-based Solidion Technology are developing and commercializing next-generation battery materials, components, and cells. The company currently hold over 525 patents globally, covering various innovative battery technologies.
In this blog post, we explore how Solidion Technology and its all-solid-state battery platform technology aims to tackle these problems one EV at a time.
Challenges Faced by EV Battery Users and Manufacturers
Here are some of the major roadblocks restricting higher EV adoption:
Limited EV Battery Range
EV battery range remains a crucial hurdle for the broader acceptance of EVs. The driving range of electric vehicles is generally lower when compared to that of a gas-powered car on a full tank.
In the early days of electric vehicles, the Nissan LEAF, a top seller, could only travel up to 175 km on a single charge.
However, the scenario is changing fast. Today, Nissan’s latest EV boasts a range of 460 km, while affordable models like the Hyundai Kona, Volkswagen ID.3 Tour, and Kia EV6 can go 300-500 km on a single charge.
Still, enhancing the energy density of batteries remains a primary challenge for manufacturers and users. A higher energy density allows for longer driving ranges and improves vehicle performance.
Suboptimal Charging Infrastructure
The absence of a robust charging infrastructure is a factor that often impacts the decision to purchase an EV or not. Even though the charging infrastructure is expanding, it is still not as widely available as fuel stations. This can cause anxiety among users as they fear being stranded without a station to charge their vehicle.
As a case in point, India’s current EV charging infrastructure lags significantly, with an average of over 200 EVs per public charging point, compared to about 20 in the US and less than 10 in China.
However, the latest innovations in charging stations for EV Batteries can contribute to the mass popularity of EVs and their adoption. According to IEA,
Public charging could increase 6x by 2035, helping mass-market consumers switch to electric vehicles.
Battery Recycling
While EVs are an environmentally friendly transport option, the impact of battery production and disposal on the environment is a growing concern. All stakeholders must focus on efficient and sustainable methods for recycling EV batteries.
Companies are making efforts to provide sustainable and eco-friendly options for recycling batteries. For example:
Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada integrates closed-loop processes to reclaim valuable materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel from used batteries.
Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also made efforts, to assist with lithium-ion battery recycling with its indigenously developed technology.
Battery Safety
One of the primary concerns for EV users is their safety under diverse conditions like extreme temperatures. Accidents, like fires and explosions, are a cause of concern for users.
Preventing thermal runaway and fire hazards without compromising performance is one of the main priorities of manufacturers to ensure consumer safety and regulatory compliance.
Many players, like Samsung SDI, are helping solve various problems faced by battery users and manufacturers. Their patent for a pouch-type secondary battery prevents battery swelling and boosts safety.
Solidion’s Solutions to the EV Battery Range Challenge and Beyond
Solidion Technology, Inc., formerly Honeycomb Battery Company, is an advanced energy solutions provider based in Dallas, Texas. Here are some of their key offerings:
Bipolar Electrode-to-Pack (BEEP) Technology
The companies patented bipolar electrode-to-pack (BEEP) could solve design and manufacturing challenges related to the commercialization of solid-state lithium batteries. It can simplify the manufacturing process, making it more efficient and cost-effective. BEEP also eliminates the need for individual cell casings and reduces the number of connectors, resulting in a smaller and lighter battery pack.
Enhanced Battery Features
Solidion’s battery features, such as rapid charging and a potential 900-mile range on a single charge for EVs, could redefine the electric vehicle industry.
Solid-State Battery Manufacturing
The company manufactures solid-state batteries that replace the liquid electrolyte in EV batteries with a solid electrolyte. These batteries are deemed to be the ‘future of the battery industry’ as they provide greater storage capacity and less risk of explosion.
Fireshield™ Electrolyte Technology
Solidion’s FireshieldTM electrolyte technology allows the conversion of Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery facilities into solid-state lithium battery production lines. Adoption of the technology requires minimal modifications and is cost-effective.
The versatile and process-friendly electrolytes help manufacture relatively safe lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries using the existing infrastructure and processes.
Some Notable Features of the Solidion Batteries
Let’s go over some key features of these batteries:
Increased Energy Density
As noted above, Solidion battery claims to deliver an incredible range of over 900 miles on a single charge with its cutting-edge solid-state battery design. This upgraded range is a tremendous improvement over the EV battery range for the currently available options.
It can significantly contribute to reducing range anxiety and improving EV adoption over traditional vehicles. Higher energy density batteries not only solve the problem of limited EV battery range but also reduce the weight and size of batteries.
This improves overall vehicle performance, and users do not have to look for charging stations frequently.
Superior Design
Most batteries require hundreds of housings and connectors, whereas these batteries with BEEP technology require only one casing and a few connectors. This helps dramatically reduce battery weight, volume and cost.
The smaller size and reduced battery weight address the limited space available challenges in an EV to accommodate a bulky battery system.
Fast Chargeability
The BEEP technology, with its simplified design, streamlines the current flow and helps reduce the internal resistance within the battery, enabling it to charge faster.
These solid-state batteries can handle higher charging currents compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries, with liquid electrolytes enabling faster charging. This feature benefits users tremendously, especially on long road trips.
Read more about some studies that show how charging habits affect EV battery reliability.
Enhanced Safety
The batteries have inherent safety features, reinforcing user trust in EV vehicles. Solidion battery design uses a solid electrolyte, unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries that use a flammable liquid electrolyte. These feature helps reduce the risk of fires and explosions, which is often a significant safety concern with conventional EV batteries.
The proprietary Fireshield technology also contributes to the safety of their batteries.
To Sum It Up
EVs are good not only for the drivers, they are a boon for the planet too. Different studies highlight the impact of EV adoption on the health of the communities and environment. With Solidion’s BEEP technology offering a higher range in a single charge, the future of eco-friendly driving just got a lot more exciting.