Electric: Next Generation Solid State Batteries?

Advances in battery technology are of crucial importance for the world of electromobility. E-car batteries ultimately determine not only the ranges and charging times of the electric vehicle, but also what emissions the car is responsible for in the first place from the production phase onwards. Reducing the carbon dioxide released and the resources used up in the process is therefore a key development for the automotive industry. An improvement in battery performance and its environmental friendliness, which according to expert Martin Linder of the consulting firm McKinsey "could be as much as 75 percent in the coming years". 

The switch to green power is already a first step towards making battery production more sustainable, he says. However, Linder assumes that the entire process - from material extraction to logistics - has optimisation potential for a better environmental balance. But even more important, according to the experts, is the development of the next generation of batteries, namely batteries with higher energy density and a longer lifespan, which are also produced cost-effectively. Above all, they should be safer and more sustainable through the use of recycled materials and renewable energies. Thus, on the one hand, the future battery should reduce costs and thus accelerate the spread of electric cars on the car market. On the other hand, the ecological footprint of electromobility solutions should be significantly reduced in terms of environmental protection. 

According to experts, solid-state batteries are currently considered to be the most widely observed technology paving the way to true climate neutrality. These are also lithium-ion batteries. Here, however, the ion transport for energy production does not take place via a liquid, but through a solid, electrically conductive material. They are supposed to double the range and energy density of conventional lithium batteries at the same time. However, their establishment in the automotive industry could still take years, as many of the necessary technologies and construction materials are not yet commercially available. At the same time, solid-state batteries can already make a difference outside the bonnet of e-vehicles. Indeed, as stationary batteries, they can increase the possibility of energy storage and the use of renewable energy - and contribute to the creation of flexible electricity grids.  

Researchers cannot make progress in sustainable vehicle technology fast enough. Along with the increase in emissions-related driving bans and low emission zones where only low-emission vehicles can enter, the demands on the electric sector are growing exponentially. By providing a completely climate-neutral drive system, car manufacturers can therefore ensure that vehicles classified as environmentally friendly really cannot have a negative impact on the air and environment in protected areas. Which, in the final analysis, is one of the central points in the phasing out of the internal combustion engine and, accordingly, in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which is important for the climate goals. Will solid-state batteries be the cornerstone of the new generation of electric cars?