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August 2024

SBD Explores: EV Battery Technology

Are semi-solid-state and solidstate batteries the next big
thing for EVs?
10-minute Insight
Automakers are carefully observing the development of
new battery chemistries. Existing lithium-ion batteries arelikely to dominate the battery market for the next decadedue to their high energy density, long cycle life anddecreasing costs, but the ultimate theoretical performance
has a ceiling.
The performance of lithium-ion batteries can be enhancedwith more complex cathode or anode materials (e.g.
niobium, silicon). Solid- and semi-solid-state batteries are
an alternative and offer performance benefits.
In this edition of SBD Explores, we dive into these two
emerging battery technologies and discuss their potential
impact on the automotive industry.

Target audience
Product planning / Strategy
Engineering / Investing

Focus market(s)GlobalWhat is happening?

Industry Buzz:

Key takeaways
OEMs are looking for new technology toboost EV range. Current traditionallithium-ion batteries utilize a liquid
electrolyte to transfer lithium ions acrosselectrodes. Now, OEMs are investing in
new forms of lithium-ion batteries withsolid electrolyte interfaces.
• Two different cell designs are being
developed by OEMs and suppliers.
Semi-solid-state and solid-statebatteries replace some or all the liquid
electrolyte with a solid interface.
• Semi-solid-state batteries contain a mixof solid conductive material and liquid
electrolyte to conduct ions across theelectrodes. These have significantly
less liquid electrolyte than traditionallithium-ion batteries.
• Solid-state batteries have a have noliquid at all and use a pure solidmaterial as the electrolyte.

2Why does it matter?
Traditional lithiumion batteries

Semi-solid-statebatteries

Solid-state batteries

Current cost

Traditional lithium-ion battery
costs vary. Much of the costdepends on the cathodeactive material.

Price per kWh is still unclear.
Cost is likely to be between
lithium-ion and solid-state.

There are large costs
involved with thedevelopment and productionof solid-state batteries.

Current development

Technology is alreadydeveloped and in production.
Advancements in chemistry
are being made.

NIO has released a 150-kWhsemi-solid-state battery formass production. Other OEMsare likely to follow soon.

Developments have beenslow and anticipated mass
production dates have been
pushed back to 2027.

Current best charging times from ~15-85% - take about
20 minutes.

Capable of faster charging
times than lithium-ionbatteries. Some estimatesindicate up to 40% faster.

Researchers are looking toachieve charging times - for
0-100% - of 10-15 minutes.

Lithium-ion battery
chemistries can achieve
ranges of up to 500-700 km(310-434 miles).

NIO’s new ES6 with a 150kWh semi-solid-state battery
has a reported range of 930
km (578 miles).

Research shows range could
exceed 950 km (590 miles),but this has not been
demonstrated in a vehicle.

In cold temperatures there isreduced battery performance.

With less liquid electrolyte,
cold weather effects are lesspronounced than withstandard lithium-ion
batteries.

Lack of liquid electrolyte
reduces negative cold
weather effects on thebattery.

Research is still ongoing, but
initial results show cycle lifein the region of 2,000.

Current research suggests
solid-state batteries canretain close to 80% of theircapacity after 6,000-10,000
cycles.

Charge timeRange

Weather resilience

Cycle countCycle counts vary dependingon the chemistry. LFP has
shown promise, offering up
to up to 5,000 cycles.

Key takeaways
There are some key advantages that givesemi-solid-state and solid-state batteries
an advantage over traditional lithium-ionbatteries. The advantages arise from thereduced amount, or lack of, liquid
electrolyte.
• Having a liquid electrolyte can cause
performance issues in cold
temperatures as it does not allow ionsto flow between electrodes as easily.
• Safety issues arise when flammableliquid electrolyte is present. Semi-solidstate batteries reduce this risk, andsolid-state batteries remove this risk.
• Generally speaking, semi-solid-statebatteries offer better performance thanlithium-ion batteries, but not as good as
the expected performance of solid-statebatteries.
• The increased performance andexpected reliability of solid-statebatteries comes at a large investment
cost into new manufacturing.

3

Who to watch out for?
Semi-solid-state
NIO is the first automakerto mass produce semisolid-state batteries.

Zendure produces semisolid-state batteries with
NMC chemistry for energy
storage solutions.

Solid-state
Factorial supplied samples ofsolid-state batteries to
Mercedes-Benz for EV
validation and testing.

QuantumScape are working todevelop an anode-less solidstate battery.
They have delivered somesamples to OEMs.

IM Motors is planning torelease a variant of their
new L6 model in
September that uses a
semi-solid-state battery.

Solid Power is working todevelop solid-state batteries
with different types ofelectrodes and electrolytes.
This includes silicon-basedelectrodes.

Grepow highlights
aerospace as an industry
that can benefit fromtheir semi-solid-statebattery pouches.

Samsung have noted thatsolid-state batteries are an
important trend for the future,and they are working todevelop the technology.

Key takeaways
Both semi-solid-state and solid-statebatteries are being developed in tandem,with semi-solid-state being more maturethan solid-state batteries for automotive
and non-automotive applications. Solidstate batteries have been, “5 years away”
for a long time due to continuous
difficulties (both technical andcommercial) in the design and validation
processes.
• Energy storage solutions and batteries
for non-automotive applications arebeing actively deployed. Learnings fromthe field will support refinement of thetechnology for the technicallydemanding automotive space.
• Semi-solid-state batteries are being
installed in vehicles in China. More are
expected to follow before solid-statehits the market. NIO’s swapping
technology supports in-field testing andsampling of new chemistries.
• Solid-state batteries are still some way
from being ready for production
vehicles.
4

Where Next?
Key takeaways
1
Introduction ofsemi-solid-stateSlowgrowth ofsolid-state

Beginning ofphase out liquid
electrolytebatteries• NIO is the first to release semi-solid-statebatteries for mass production.
• More OEMs consider using semi-solid-statebatteries in their vehicle line-up.

2FutureOutlook
Solid-state
at scale• NMC and LFP are the dominant chemistries
for automotive EV batteries.

34• Semi-solid-state battery vehicles will be
more expensive than those with lithium-ion
batteries, justified by increased range.

• Solid-state batteries finally adopted at scale,starting with premium vehicles.
• Traditional lithium-ion batteries remain in use
for low-cost EVs.

• Semi-solid-state batteries become used in
low-cost EVs.
• Solid-state batteries become morewidespread.

Now

2-6 yrs.

6-8 yrs.

8+ yrs.

Several automakers see value in semisolid-state and solid-state batteries.
Production of semi-solid-state batteries
will likely occur sooner than solid-statebatteries for most OEMs.

Key factors contribute to the market
adoption of semi-solid-state and solidstate batteries:• If consumers continue to demand
electric vehicles with more range, thiswill drive OEMs and suppliers to further
develop the technology.

• However, while consumers wantvehicles with more range, this will
come at a cost. Vehicles with newbattery technologies will likely be
expensive as manufacturing processes
develop.
• Further development of manufacturing
processes can help drive costs down,allowing more vehicles to be equippedwith this battery technology.

5How should you react?

123Authors
Continue to build alliances and joint
ventures with OEMs and battery
suppliers to develop new scalable
models.

Understand how different batterytechnologies will impact
now/near/far EV prices and plan
your model specifications and pricepoint accordingly.

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Michael Levet

Robert Fisher

Senior Analytical
Reports Specialist

Domain Principal

Related SBD Reports

623 – EV Guide

If you want to be a leader in the EVspace, invest in new forms ofbattery technology, not limited tosemi-solid-state and solid-statebatteries. Alternative anode andcathode materials are also worthy.

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219 – EV Battery Technologiesand Ecosystem

Related SBD Consultancy▪ Competitive Assessment▪ Market Landscape▪ Due Diligence▪ Strategic Advisory

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