Mercedes to test solid-state battery in EQS
According to a report by Autocar, the battery pack should offer a range of more than 620 miles, equivalent to around 1,000 kilometres. Market maturity is planned “before the end of this decade.” Mercedes assumes that the solid-state battery will offer a 25 per cent greater range than a lithium-ion battery of the same size and weight. To test the technology in the EQS, the vehicle had to be slightly adapted according to the report, particularly in the battery installation space and on the battery housing.
Development partner and supplier Factorial Energy is a US specialist for solid-state battery cells supported by Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Hyundai-Kia. The company is pursuing several lines of development. In June 2024, Factorial already delivered B samples of its solid-state cells with a charging capacity of more than 106 Ah to Mercedes-Benz. These should achieve an energy density of 391 Wh/kg – although the developer does not specify whether this is at cell or system level.
At the same time, the company is working – explicitly with Mercedes – on cells with the brand name Solstice, which so far only have A sample status, but are expected to score points with an even higher energy density and a dry cathode coating process. In September 2024, Factorial promised an energy density of up to 450Wh/kg for its Solstice product (again, no specification on cell or pack level) and thus an increased range of up to 80 per cent for electric cars. The company also recently announced the next step, which is to increase this cell type to a charging capacity of 40 Ah.
According to Autocar, the technology now being used in the EQS is “an initial step towards a more advanced solid-state battery, internally codenamed Solstice.” It is thus a pre-development stage; whether it is the above-mentioned B samples with 391 Wh/kg or another version is not clear from the report.
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