Hyundai partners with solid-state battery firm promising breakthrough in the tech
The Korean automaker and Factorial inked a partnership to jointly develop next-generation solid-state batteries. And they could be a game changer.
The solid-state battery is, really, the holy grail of electric vehicle technology. Such a battery promises major increases in both range and safety. At Hyundai, the automaker thinks it found the right company to eventually build these batteries with. On Thursday, the company announced a new partnership with Factorial Energy to create these next-generation batteries.
Factorial said it stumbled upon a breakthrough in solid-state battery technology, based on a "proprietary solid electrolyte material." Said material enables safe and reliable cell performance, while still managing high voltage. These cells can also operate at room temperature, too. While the finer details remain closely guarded for now, both companies said the combination is safer than lithium-ion chemistry and boosts driving ranges from an EV by 20% to 50%. Even better, this process is simple to implement on a manufacturing scale -- another issue when it comes to solid-state battery tech.
According to Hyundai and Factorial, these batteries could drop into the same manufacturing infrastructure as today's lithium-ion units. If that's true, this really is a breakthrough.
Hyundai is the first major automaker to make commitment and investment into the company, and should the promises become reality, it could pay off in big ways in the future.
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