VW Group aims for road-ready solid-state battery by 2030

Company begins testing solid-state cells in radical Ducati motorbike; says it can be swapped into cars The Volkswagen Group is aiming to have solid-state batteries ready for production by 2030, having started testing the breakthrough technology in a Ducati motorbike. The first Group prototype to use solid-state cells is based on the Italian bike maker’s V21L MotoE racer – but the cells are designed to transfer into cars with minimal changes once the technology is ready. Solid-state batteries promise greater energy density – giving manufacturers greater flexibility to increase an EV's range within the same battery footprint or to reduce its weight with a smaller pack without sacrificing range – as well as faster charging speeds. Officially, the decision to trial the technology in a bike was taken because of the additional performance it promises, with Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali calling it a “perfect fit”. Indeed, the significantly greater energy density of a solid-state battery compared with a conventional lithium ion battery could be key to resolving the weight, range and packaging problems faced by electric motorbike manufacturers. But testing the technology in the V21L – in which the battery pack is a stressed part of the chassis, likely facing much greater forces than in an electric car’s 'skateboard' chassis – could also yield important findings in improving the durability of solid-state cells. This has been a significant roadblock in their development thus far: natural chemical processes create cracks inside the ceramic electrolytes of solid-state cells and these can be exacerbated by external forces. The Volkswagen Group said its battery-making spin-off PowerCo and solid-state battery company QuantumScape are working to develop a commercially viable solution by the end of this decade. It added that this solution will be based around its Unified Cell, a new prismatic cell design that will first be used by the Electric Urban Car Family – the Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq, Volkswagen ID Polo and Volkswagen ID Cross. That would allow the solid-state cells to be swapped into existing models’ battery packs without significant modifications to the packs themselves. The Unified Cell has been designed for use across 80% of the Group’s future electric models, suggesting a production car powered by solid-state cells could become available soon after the technology itself has been readied. The Volkswagen Group is unlikely to be first to offer the technology, however. Nissan previously said it will launch its first solid-state EVs in 2028 and several Chinese manufacturers (including MG) already sell EVs fitted with semi-solid-state batteries, which have a significantly reduced liquid content compared with typical lithium ion equivalents. Mercedes-Benz is also testing an EQS with a solid-state battery that's said to boost its range by 25%, to more than 620 miles.

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