Recently, researchers looking to improve the lithium-ion batteries that power most electric vehicles have been focused on a solid-state battery. One Korean company, Samyang Corporation, just signed an investment contract with Solid Ionics to further develop and manufacture that technology, Batteries News reported.
The new investment of 3 billion South Korean won (around $2.2 million) brings Samyang's total investment in Solid Ionics to around $4.3 million.
"Solid electrolytes are the most critical component in solid-state batteries, and numerous companies globally are racing to develop them," Samyang CEO Kang Ho-sung said in the press release. "This investment will serve as a stepping stone for Samyang's full-scale entry into the solid-state battery materials business, with plans to expand our battery materials portfolio in the future."
What makes solid-state batteries better than the existing lithium-ion batteries is that — by replacing a liquid electrolyte with a solid one — they can become significantly more energy-dense. That means longer driving ranges for electric vehicles, shorter charging times, and less risk of explosions and fires.
One company creating solid-state batteries for Mercedes-Benz estimated that they could increase driving ranges by up to 79%. That would mean that "range anxiety" — the fear of being stranded in your EV without a charge — could soon be a distant memory, as the EVs using these batteries could regularly get up to about 450 miles out of a single charge.
Other companies investing in solid-state batteries have made even bigger claims. Porsche, for example, has touted a future electric vehicle that could get up to 800 miles per charge.
Another company has floated the idea of airplanes powered by solid-state batteries. If that came to fruition, the reduction of planet-overheating gases would be impressive. Air travel accounts for around 2.4% of all planet-overheating emissions, per the BBC. However, it has a more significant warming effect, and it is one of the more polluting modes of transportation.
Whatever the actual applications of solid-state batteries end up being, more investment in them sounds like good news for our planet.
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