Solid Power is developing solid-state batteries, using sulphide electrolytes. Ambitious goals include >500 miles of EV range (50-100% more than today’s lithium ion batteries), 2x higher life-spans and costs as low as $85/kWh. The company is going public via SPAC, valued at $1.2bn (EV basis), and has an exceptional list of backers.
After reviewing the company’s patents, we were not entirely able to pinpoint or de-risk its technology. Our biggest question-marks and areas for further exploration are discussed in the data-file.
One bright spot, however, was experimental data showing some electrolyte compositions with similar ionic conductivities to the LiFP6 in traditional LIBs, which is around 20x higher than prior lithium sulfides. Another was the clear use of simple manufacturing techniques and lower-cost materials.