We’ve been hearing it for years, with every EV manufacturer seemingly getting one step closer to achieving commercial viability. So far, though, Mercedes-Benz is the closest, thanks to prototypes already being tested on the road. Toyota, on the other hand, probably has the boldest promises, but has yet to put an SSB into prototype testing. What’s the difference between the two companies, and which company appears to be the most promising so far?
This is when solid-state batteries are expected to become mainstream
After many years of waiting, the time for solid-state batteries could finally be here.
The outsourced battery from Mercedes-Benz
One important difference with Mercedes BenzSSB’s efforts are their dependence on an outside battery company. In this case, Mercedes-Benz already has an ongoing relationship with Factorial Energy, an American SSB startup where other companies such as Stellantis also have partnerships.
Factorial energy cells
The battery of the prototype EQS used for road testing is equipped with an SSB developed by Factorial Energy. Their partnership in 2021 allowed Mercedes-Benz to accelerate the development of SSB. It would be time-consuming to develop one from scratch, but this collaboration that has been going on for four years now is why we now have an EQS prototype undergoing SSB road testing.
Factorial Energy calls their SSB Solstice. Being an SSB, it does not contain any liquid as an electrolyte, which is the main component that makes SSBs thermally stable and therefore very safe. According to Factorial Energy’s own research, a current 90 kWh battery offers a range of 320 to 300 kilometers and a weight of 350 kilos. Their Solstice SSB, on the other hand, promises a range of 500 to 600 miles while weighing 580 pounds. Lighter, but with even more range, is the main driver for EV manufacturers pushing for SSBs.
Interestingly enough, it is passively cooled
Keeping battery health and life in check is today’s innovation in battery thermal management. That’s exactly why you now have heat pumps for the battery in the winter, and liquid cooling when the outside temperature gets high – all in the quest to optimize battery performance. Interestingly, the EQS’s SSB is passively cooled, meaning it has no active thermal management.
The lack of active thermal management saves battery energy, and it’s one of the main reasons why Mercedes-Benz can promise a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. However, it will be interesting to see if this means that SSBs really do not need active thermal management. Another ingenious trick that Mercedes has developed together with their Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) division is pneumatic actuators, which interact with the changes in the cell volume of the SSB during charging and discharging. When the battery is charged, the cells expand, but when it is discharged, the cells shrink.
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Toyota’s (mostly) internal work
On the other hand, Toyota’s SSB developments are largely made in-house. The key here is that Toyota is still working with suppliers to gain knowledge and accelerate their internal SSB development.
More than 1,000 patents at Panasonic
Toyota’s SSB betting is in partnership with Panasonic. The two companies have developed more than 1,000 patents for their SSB chemistry to date. Further integrating the SSB development into Toyota’s own backyard is the acquisition of Primearth EV Energy (PEVE) from Panasonic in 2024. Toyota has another affiliate called Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, in which the Japanese automaker has a 51 percent stake, with the remaining 49 percent with Panasonic. Prime Planet Energy & Solutions already makes EV batteries, while the production of PEVE EV batteries is only increasing.
Toyota’s developments in SSBs actually date back to 2012, but received little media attention due to the world’s attention at the time on Tesla’s revolutionary Model S. Between 2012 and 2020, Toyota’s focus on SSBs decreased, and only increased as they got closer to working prototypes.
Own production, outsourced raw materials
Toyota aims to produce its own SSBs, rather than contracting with third-party manufacturers, but Toyota will not extract those raw materials directly. Instead, Idemitsu Kosan comes into the picture. Idemitsu Kosan, a major petroleum company in Japan, will strengthen its materials business for Toyota’s SSB production plans. Idemitsu Kosan is building a new lithium sulfide plant, scheduled for completion in June 2027, just in time for Toyota to finally produce fully solid-state batteries based on its timeline.
The current progress of the two companies
For now, the difference between their SSBs mainly has to do with their development paths. Mercedes-Benz invested in an SSB startup, while Toyota develops SSBs in-house by acquiring the knowledge and resources. Here’s what’s currently happening between the two companies when it comes to their SSB development.
Road testing for Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz’s lead in the SSB race is immediately clear, at least compared to Toyota. Thanks to Mercedes-Benz’s outsourcing strategy, the German car manufacturer has played a pioneering role in the development of SSB. Of course, real-world testing comes with interesting data to analyze, and in this case Mercedes-Benz already has interesting findings.
Last September, Mercedes-Benz put the EQS through a range test, driving it from Stuttgart, Germany, to Malmö, Sweden, covering a distance of 750 miles – far longer than any electric car in production. At least when evaluating their EPA estimates. That’s because the Lucid Air Grand Touring was able to travel the same Guinness World Record-certified distance using just a standard lithium-ion battery. In Lucid’s case, however, it has to do with the incredible efficiency of their EV powertrain, which the EQS is not. If the Lucid Air Grand Touring had an SSB, imagine the range capabilities of that vehicle.
Toyota continues to gather resources
On the other hand, Toyota is still in the development phase of its SSBs as it has not yet put a vehicle on the road for testing purposes. Or at least from what we know publicly. Perhaps they are already conducting internal testing within the company’s closed courses on a prototype of a vehicle that they have not yet published.
For now, Toyota continues to acquire knowledge and manufacturing expertise for SSBs, as we have yet to put a Toyota SSB through its paces on public roads. On the plus side, the internal development approach to development and production means Toyota will have greater control over the SSB’s quality improvements and production output.
Source: MercedesToyota
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