- In a partnership with US battery manufacturer Factorial Energy, Mercedes-Benz’s solid state EV battery program is well underway – with the OEM announcing that road tests of its first solid state battery pack have began this month.
- The prototype solid state battery pack has been fitted to an existing Mercedes-Benz EQS, which was slightly modified to allow the new battery type to be fitted on board.
- The commencing of road tests comes after Mercedes-Benz carried out laboratory tests on the solid state pack back in 2024.
Mercedes-Benz gets closer to the finish line for solid state EVs
Mercedes claims the prototype battery pack in question has an energy density of 450 Wh/kg. For reference, the average lithium-ion EV battery pack has an energy density somewhere around between the 200-250 Wh/kg mark, essentially marking a doubling in energy density for this new solid-state unit. With that in mind, the manufacturer is referring to this car as the ‘1,000 km’ EQS, giving you a hint at what level of range Mercedes could target on future solid state battery-based EVs. Before that, though, Mercedes is still looking to push over 460 miles of range on conventional lithium-ion batteries.
Siyu Huang, CEO and Co-Founder of Factorial Energy, commented:
“Being the first to successfully integrate lithium metal solid-state batteries into a production vehicle platform marks a historic achievement in electric mobility. This breakthrough demonstrates that solid-state battery technology has moved beyond the laboratory and into real-world application, setting a new benchmark for the entire automotive industry. Our collaboration with Mercedes-Benz proves that the future of electric vehicles is not just a vision, but a reality we’re delivering today.”
Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes‑Benz Group and Chief Technology Officer, Development & Procurement, added:
“Developing an automotive-scale solid-state battery underlines our commitment to innovation and sustainability. We’re therefore excited to announce that we’ve started road testing with a prototype vehicle equipped with this advanced technology. We will gain crucial insights into possible series integration of this cutting-edge battery technology.”
This achievement from Mercedes-Benz comes at a pivotal time for the EV battery industry, with other automotive manufacturers also well underway in their plans to introduce solid state technology to market-going electric cars in the near future. Hyundai, for example, is poised to reveal its own in-house solid state battery technology in March, with a rumoured mass production deadline of 2030.
