BMW Invests in Solid-State Battery Tech

[Admin]

BMW is investing in battery tech company Solid Power to develop a new breed of battery. (BMW Motorrad/)

A battery that’s more powerful, smaller, lighter, and safer than the current state of the art is something of a holy grail for companies developing the next generation of electric vehicles. A new breed of solid-state batteries could be the answer, and BMW is now promising a demonstrator using just such a power pack by 2025, with production of those batteries coming by the end of the decade.

The announcement came along with a second round of investment into Colorado-based battery development specialists Solid Power, with BMW joining Ford Motor Company and Volta Energy Technologies to funnel $130 million into that firm with the aim of creating full-scale, production-ready automotive batteries by the end of the decade. BMW says it will have a solid-state battery demonstrator vehicle “well before 2025,” and while that machine is likely to be a car, the same benefits of the technology will just as easily apply to motorcycles. Solid Power says it will have a pilot production line for the batteries by early next year as a result of the funding, allowing it to provide BMW with 100Ah solid-state cells for testing and vehicle integration.

The differences between lithium-ion batteries and solid-state units come down to the composition of the electrolyte and anode. (Solid Power/)

What, you might ask, is a solid-state battery? It’s a battery that replaces the liquid electrolyte found in a normal lithium-ion cell with a solid material. Today’s lithium-ion batteries have two electrodes—a cathode and anode—with a porous separator between them. The liquid electrolyte surrounding both electrodes allows lithium-ion transfer between the cathode and anode. Solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid, and Solid Power’s design uses metallic lithium as an anode, promising much greater capacity than the graphite anodes used in normal lithium-ion batteries.

Related: BMW DC And CE Electric Bike Range Planned

The result is a battery that’s smaller, so you can get more power and range from a battery of the same size, but it’s also safer. Solid-state batteries can survive bending, for instance, and even if they’re damaged, the fact that the electrolyte is solid means it can’t leak. It’s the highly flammable electrolyte that fuels battery fires on the current generation of lithium-ion-powered products—whether they’re electric vehicles or smartphones—and solid-state batteries promise to solve that issue. Other benefits of the technology include faster charging rates, another sticking point with the current tech.

There’s a good chance the new solid-state units will appear in BMW’s future electric bikes, some of which may look like its Vision DC Roadster concept. (BMW Motorrad/)

While there are still technical hurdles to clear before solid-state batteries can be mass produced or incorporated into vehicles, the technology is clearly promising. In a joint press release, the companies involved said: “Solid Power has demonstrated its ability to produce and scale next-generation all solid-state batteries that are designed to power longer range, lower cost, and safer electric vehicles using existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing infrastructure.”

Frank Weber, member of the board of management BMW AG, said: “The development of all solid-state batteries is one of the most promising and important steps toward more efficient, sustainable, and safer electric vehicles. We now have taken our next step on this path with Solid Power.”

Related: Production-ready BMW CE 04 Revealed in Patents

BMW has already been a pioneer with electric motorcycles—its C Evolution scooter first appeared nearly a decade ago and that bike’s replacement, the CE-04, is due to be launched this summer in production form. Later, the company is planning a range of DC-branded electric motorcycles, taking the firm’s Vision DC Roadster concept as the starting point. BMW has already applied for trademark rights for several names for these machines, from DC 01 to DC 09.

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[Bender]

They may be a bit behind if graphene based batteries can do what's touted 

 

https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltaylor/2021/05/13/ev-range-breakthrough-as-new-aluminum-ion-battery-charges-60-times-faster-than-lithium-ion/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16212818317599&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fmichaeltaylor%2F2021%2F05%2F13%2Fev-range-breakthrough-as-new-aluminum-ion-battery-charges-60-times-faster-than-lithium-ion%2Famp%2F%23aoh%3D16212818317599%26csi%3D1%26referrer%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%26amp_tf%3DFrom%20%251%24s

[Stu]

Its like a race to try and find the best battery for cars and bikes! Which makes you wonder if the technology would last the life of a car/bike

 

The batteries would need to last twice as long for bike than cars given the amount of older bikes are out there compared to cars it shows that bikes tend to out last cars partly due to the low usage in comparison 

[husoi]

They are way behind. Toyota is in production with new EV's with SS batteries.

Although Toyota is still pursuing the fuel cells cars powered by hydrogen.

A few EU countries have reach an agreement in providing a viable network for hydrogen supply.

Battery technology is exploding with new materials and storage methods.

 

Almost forgot to say, Toyota SS batteries will have less rare metals than Li-on

[Bender]

Ss longer lived as they don't suffer the excitable short with lithium.

 

Anyone that cracks double capacity with a size reduction is making a fortune.

 

Should matter not if batteries improve, you can always upgrade  

 

There is so much money and time being out in now it's just a matter of when not if.

[fullscreenaging]

I still think Hydrogen is the way to go. 
It’s a direct replacement for the fuels we use now, so no need to overhaul the infrastructure we have. 
Fill up drive/ride to empty, fill up in 10 mins drive/ride repeat. 
The national grid won’t be able to cope. 
The Government will have to find a way to claw back the billions they lose in fuel tax, so I imagine the electric you use to charge your vehicle will not be as cheap as it is now. 
 

[Stu]

25 minutes ago, Bender said:

There is so much money and time being out in now it's just a matter of when not if.

 

I agree with that and to be honest I can't wait to have an electric car! 

 

Although I suspect electric prices will go sky high  

[Bender]

1 minute ago, Stu said:

 

I agree with that and to be honest I can't wait to have an electric car! 

 

Although I suspect electric prices will go sky high  

As will solar panels  

[Bender]

2 minutes ago, fullscreenaging said:

I still think Hydrogen is the way to go. 
It’s a direct replacement for the fuels we use now, so no need to overhaul the infrastructure we have. 
Fill up drive/ride to empty, fill up in 10 mins drive/ride repeat. 
The national grid won’t be able to cope. 
The Government will have to find a way to claw back the billions they lose in fuel tax, so I imagine the electric you use to charge your vehicle will not be as cheap as it is now. 
 

I'm sure the fuel companies, distribution network and fuel stations would agree as they all stand to loose.

 

Same as gas companies all trying to get hydrogen boilers adopted, it's self preservation they couldn’t care less about the environment