Will we soon drive south without loading? Mercedes test electric car with 1,000 kilometer driving range

The holy grail for electric cars are called. Mercedes-Benz has sent a very first electric car the circuit with a Solid-State battery. After the battery was first extensively tested in labs, it is a new phase in a development process that has already cost a handful of money.

You will of course see no difference on the car itself, an EQS model. The new is under the bodywork. Researchers have not mounted a classic lithium-ion battery there, but they have a Solid-State battery. Easily explained: where lithium-ion copies use a liquid as a connection between the two poles, this is a solid for the Solid Statebatters. « Safer, lighter and more efficient » says the Mercedes-Benz spokesperson. And therefore also more environmentally friendly. (Read more under the map)

The EQS already has a very large battery on board, in theory good for a driving range of 800 kilometers. With an equally large Solid-State battery, the car must be able to travel more than 1,000 kilometers in ideal conditions without loading on the road.

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The Solid-Statebatters can store much more energy (up to 25 percent extra) and can be charged faster (up to 80 percent fast charging in ten minutes). And important: fewer scarce metals such as nickel, cobalt and copper are used for it. “As a result, the technology is also cheaper. Or better: can batteries become cheaper in the long term, « says Jochen De Smet, Expert Electric Mobility and Chairman of EV Belgium, the Federation for Electric Driving.

And then there is another advantage: fire safety. « Liquid electrolyte is used in the current batteries, and that is difficult to extinguish, » says Tony Verhelle of Newmobility.News. “That is why electric cars that catch fire must be immersed in a water bath. That will no longer be the case with the Solid State battery. « 

Patience

Nothing but benefits, it seems. It is therefore not surprising that Mercedes is not the only one who invests and experiments in Solid-Statebatters. Chinese giants such as Catl and BYD, but also brands such as BMW, Toyota and Hyundai put a lot of money in the development of Solid-Statebatters. « But it is slow, slower than expected, » says De Smet. (Read more under the photo)

Although Mercedes-Benz now used a Solid-State battery for the first time in a normal production vehicle for the public road, it is only a test car for the time being. When Mercedes would actually apply the new battery technology on a large scale, the car manufacturer makes no statements yet. Other who already did that had to move their target date.

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Jochen De Smet van EV Belgium does not believe that it will be something in the short term. He is aiming for 2030 earlier. Tony Verhelle also believes that it will initially be something for large luxury cars. According to him, the smaller models will ride with lithium-ion copies for a long time to press the price.