Together with the company Factorial, Mercedes has developed a new solid state battery pack that promises to extend the range of electric cars by up to 80 percent.
Car brands have been shouting for years that the so-called solid state batteries are just around the corner. Now Mercedes may be one step closer to doing something about it.
Together with the American company Factorial, the car brand has apparently developed a solid state battery pack that can extend the range of electric cars by up to 80 percent.
In fact, Factorial is so confident that it has the long haul that the battery pack will be able to be built with cars before the end of this decade.
This is written by the Reuters news agency.
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Speaking to the news agency, Mercedes' technical director Markus Schaefer calls the development of solid state batteries a cornerstone in the car brand's development of electric cars.
At the same time, Schaefer believes that with the new batteries it will be possible to increase the energy density by 40 percent when compared with the batteries in the current electric cars from Mercedes.
Also, the battery pack is lighter than any Mercedes currently. This, says the technical director, will enable the car brand to build the bodies of future electric cars from steel rather than the much more expensive aluminium.
When car brands try to talk up solid state batteries it is for several reasons. But the primary reason is the technology's alleged much greater efficiency and cheaper manufacturing. That is, when compared with the lithium-ion technology, which is currently by far the most widespread in electric cars.
However, it may be that Mercedes already has to see itself surpassed by competition. Chinese MG has promised to send the first cars with solid state batteries on the street already next year.
Conversely, a brand such as Nissan also believes that the battery technology can be used in ordinary passenger cars from 2028.
READ ALSO: Petrol car owners know very little about electric cars, climate group says
