Mercedes-Benz began road tests of electric cars with solid-state batteries

The prototypes are equipped with a battery developed by a formula division of the brand, a competence center in the field of battery systems and the American company Factorial Energy. Their feature is a hydraulic actuator that responds to a change in the volume of cells in the process of charging and discharge.

Mercedes-Benz began road tests of solid-state batteries, and, in fact, we have the first successful example of installing such batteries in a serial automobile platform. The bearer of promising technology was the EQS liftback. The battery block itself is completely new. It has been developed by Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) in cooperation with the competency center in the field of battery systems and uses cells of the American Factorial Energy.

Mercedes-Benz

The cells are the so-called B-SAMPles-full-function samples for field and bench tests. It is expected that they will increase the specific capacity of batteries to 450 watt hours per kilogram, which will result in 25 percent growth of “long-rangeness”. True, already now EQS with a lithium-ion battery passes 870 kilometers through the passport, but there will be more than one thousand. In addition, solid-state batteries are safe, as they do not contain flammable substances, and weigh less, including due to passive cooling.

Mercedes-Benz

The innovation developed by the HPP and the center of competence is a patented floating cell holder, which is a hydraulic actuator that responds to the expansion and compression of active material in the process of charging and discharge. The actuator is necessary to maintain the work of cells, since the change in their volume affects the performance and service life of the entire block. The tests of this system will last a few more months.

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