The solid-state battery has been the success of electric vehicles – a cleaner, lighter and safer way to store energy that could finally silence the skeptics who say EVs can’t outrun physics. And now it seems that Rimac, the Croatian hypercar manufacturer that already shocked the world with the Nevera, is aiming to make that moonshot a reality.
At this year’s IAA Mobility show in Munich, Rimac unveiled its first solid-state battery (SSB) – a technology that could do what lithium-ion could never quite do: shrink, slim down and accelerate the EV powertrain. More than just a whiteboard promise, Rimac’s SSB now has a timeline and a manufacturing partner, indicating that the technology could actually come out of the lab and into a real car.
From hype to hardware
Rimac has collaborated with ProLogium and Mitsubishi Chemical Group to turn next-generation battery chemistry into something scalable. The specifications alone raise eyebrows: 10 percent smaller than current packs, 20 percent lighter and 15 to 25 percent more energy density. The numbers sound futuristic, but that’s the point: Rimac wants to show that the future can be designed.
What really sets this project apart is the company’s stated production goal: internal validation testing is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, the first sample of the battery in 2027 and a B sample suitable for testing in 2028. Depending on how that test goes, a battery should be ready for limited production in 2030, according to Nurdin Pitarevic, COO of Rima Technology. For a company that built the fastest electric car in the world, that’s an aggressive but credible timeline. Rimac has the facilities, the financing and, crucially, the credibility to back this up.
Power meets functionality
Beneath the hype lies some serious, next-level space-age technology. Rimac’s new pack weighs just 847 pounds yet has a power density of 1,000 watts per pound – a quantum leap from the 800-watt average of today’s best cylindrical lithium-ion cells. That means faster acceleration, longer range and less volume, which can free up interior space in everything from a hypercar to a luxury sedan.
Even more impressive, Rimac’s SSB reportedly retains 95 percent of its energy at -20°C (-4°F). That’s a direct answer to one of the biggest complaints from EV owners: loss of range in cold weather. Most EV batteries today can lose 30 to 40 percent of their range as temperatures drop. Rimac’s design – which uses a solid electrolyte instead of a flammable liquid – not only solves the cold weather problem; it also reduces the fire risk that has dogged EV headlines for years.
Beyond the hypercar
If this all sounds like it belongs in a million-dollar Nevara, Rimac wants to change that perception. The company’s goal is not only to power its own halo cars, but also to supply technology to other automakers, a shift that could make Rimac look more like a high-performance Intel than a boutique Ferrari. The company’s co-ownership with Porsche already gives it a natural path to broader OEM partnerships, potentially allowing Rimac-developed SSBs to be fitted into future models of Volkswagen Group brands and beyond.
A turning point, if it yields results
Of course, there is still a gap between the laboratory and the assembly line. Rimac’s announcement doesn’t change the fact that no automaker has yet mass-produced a solid-state EV battery. Toyota, BMW and Mercedes all claim to be within striking distance, but Rimac’s clear production roadmap – coupled with its reputation for delivering on an impossible scale – makes this announcement harder to ignore.
The stakes are enormous. If Rimac’s timeline holds and the SSBs hit the market by the end of this decade, it could redefine what electric cars can be: lighter, faster, safer and more efficient than anything lithium-ion powered.
Until then, the solid-state battery remains the most tantalizing rumor in the EV world. But thanks to Rimac, it’s starting to look less like wishful thinking and more like a deadline.
Source: Automotive News; Rimac
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