Factorial Energy provides 100 Ah solid battery cell for testing
Factorial Energy says it has handed over A-samples of its lithium metal cells to global OEMs for testing. The three manufacturers mentioned are no doubt among them. The cells are a crucial step towards mass production and are the world’s first delivery of 100+Ah lithium metal cells that have passed the UN 38.3 safety tests, Factorial says.
Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial Energy, describes the delivery of the A-samples of the 100+Ah cell as progress towards commercialisation. “Factorial is committed to meeting automotive industry timelines and producing solid-state batteries that meet the highest standards in the industry. We continue to lead the way in developing a breakthrough product and look forward to our solid-state battery technology enabling automotive manufacturers to offer their customers more powerful and safer electric vehicles.” However, the “timelines” mentioned are not further specified. Thus, it remains open when the US developer expects its technology to be ready for the market.
Recently, Factorial has had development agreements with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Hyundai-Kia since 2021. In April of the same year, the US company first announced a 40 Ah cell with solid electrolyte, which is supposed to help e-cars achieve a 20 to 50 percent higher range. In July 2021, the first results of the test runs were published. According to these, it was possible to achieve a capacity retention rate of 97.3 % for a 40 Ah cell at 25 degrees Celsius after 675 cycles. More current data is not mentioned.
In an announcement this spring, Factorial described its technology, called “FEST” (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology), as “breakthrough” because it “offer longer range per charge and increased safety and aim to be cost-competitive with conventional lithium-ion batteries”. It is also said to be able to use existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities for its production.
Last year, the company also started construction of a new development and production facility in Methuen, a suburb of Boston in Massachusetts. The funds for this came in part from a US$200 million financing round completed in early 2022, which Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz led at the time. In the current announcement, Factorial states that the facility in the greater Boston area has now also opened.
For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that Factorial also opened a location in Germany in the spring, specifically in Munich. This is the first contact point created by the company in Europe.
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