Report: Some American companies have begun production of solid-state batteries

American battery manufacturer Ion begins production of solid-state batteries, is a revolution in battery technology on the horizon?

According to media reports on the 20th, American startup Ion Storage Systems has started producing solid-state batteries, a technology expected to bring breakthrough advancements in the fields of smartphones and electric vehicles.

The media introduced that the company uses a unique ceramic substrate technology, which allows its solid-state batteries to have an energy density 50% higher than traditional lithium-ion batteries, faster charging speeds, and almost no risk of fire.

It is reported that Ion Storage Systems has received a $20 million scaling grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support the initial steps of product manufacturing and cost reduction.

Currently, the company's solid-state batteries have begun production at its factory in Maryland, with shipments for testing to potential customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense and several unnamed electronics manufacturers.

Although solid-state battery technology is seen as the key to the next generation of battery revolution, the field has long faced technical bottlenecks and commercialization difficulties. According to research firm PitchBook, global venture capital investment in solid-state battery companies is expected to drop to its lowest level since 2017.

However, Ion's technological breakthrough may change this landscape. The company's unique manufacturing process allows it to utilize existing battery production facilities, significantly reducing capital investment requirements and paving the way for large-scale commercialization.

From fuel cells to solid-state batteries, technological breakthroughs address industry pain points

Solid-state batteries are hailed as the holy grail of battery technology, as they replace the liquid electrolyte of traditional lithium-ion batteries with a solid core, resulting in higher energy density, faster charging speeds, and almost no fire risk when damaged.

However, for decades, despite significant investments in research and development by major global automakers and startups, solid-state batteries have remained confined to niche applications, with the commercialization process repeatedly thwarted.

The core difficulty of this technology lies in the volume changes during charging and discharging, which can lead to battery cracking. As a result, manufacturers have to add springs and metal plates within the battery pack, increasing weight and volume, offsetting the advantages of energy density.

Additionally, the manufacturing process of traditional solid-state batteries is vastly different from existing lithium battery production lines, further driving up costs.

To break through this bottleneck, Ion drew on the research results of University of Maryland materials scientist Eric Wachsman and his doctoral student Greg Hitz, choosing to apply the porous ceramic substrate technology used in hydrogen fuel cells to lithium-ion batteries, creating a three-layer structure: lithium metal, ceramic layer, and metal alloy layer.

On this basis, the micropores in the ceramic layer can buffer the expansion and contraction of lithium as it moves within the battery, addressing the cracking issues caused by the "breathing" effect of traditional solid-state batteries.

This simplified design allows it to be packaged in soft foil bags like conventional lithium batteries, and the manufacturing process is highly compatible with existing battery production lines.

Can Ion rewrite the global battery landscape? Awaiting mass production verification

Ion's new CEO Jorge Schneider previously worked at General Motors and in the lithium battery industry. He stated:

"This is a revolutionary technology that does not require the massive capital investment like building a Gigafactory (Tesla's super battery factory)."

Ion is also collaborating with several consumer electronics companies, although specific names have not been disclosed, Wachsman revealed that it involves "almost every consumer electronics brand you can think of." The disassembled samples of smartwatches and wireless earbuds displayed at the Ion factory suggest potential applications of the technology in small devices.

Analysts point out that the success of solid-state batteries depends on whether mass production can be achieved at a reasonable cost.

PitchBook senior emerging technology analyst Jonathan Geurkink stated, "Only when manufacturers begin to ship at scale can market confidence and the probability of success be more easily assessed." Ion's current high production costs need to be justified by its energy density increase of up to 50%, which is crucial for convincing its early customers