The Belgian solid-state battery developer SOLiTHOR, founded in 2022, claims to have achieved 500 complete charge/discharge cycles with a first-generation pouch cell and with less than seven per cent capacity loss.

The company expects to achieve the industry standard targets for this development phase of 700 charging cycles with a maximum capacity loss of 20 per cent ‘in the not too distant future’. An example calculation: for an electric car with a range of 400 kilometres, 700 cycles would correspond to a mileage of 280,000 kilometres.

However, ‘extrapolated’ is the keyword, as this is not yet a battery cell that has been tested in a ready-to-install battery pack. Rather, SOLiTHOR has achieved the 500 cycles in one of its laboratories, specifically at a constant ambient temperature of 25 degrees and 72 psi pressure. It is not known if and when such tests are possible outside the laboratory. The tested pouch cell achieves an energy density of 785 Wh/L or 318 Wh/kg at the stack level. The next medium-term target is an energy density of between 850 and 900 Wh/L.

SOLiTHOR itself says it recognises how much work still lies ahead for the development team – but also points to the progress that has been made in the two years since its inception. “Whilst recognising that there is significant work ahead and because of the fast progress made by its team to deliver tangible prototypes with USP, SOLiTHOR has the confidence to acknowledge that it is paving the way to a new class of advanced battery technology using Solid Composite Electrolytes to electrify our society in a sustainable way in the air, on the sea and on the land,” the company writes.

“This endurance test is a crucial stepping stone as it proves the durability of our product and the stability of our chemistry at ambient temperature, bringing long-range electric vehicles closer to consumer requirements. The final result of this development could be a battery cell that enables long ranges,” said Fanny Bardé, CTO of SOLiTHOR.

CEO Huw Hampson-Jones added: “These technical developments underpin the strategic thrust of the all-solid-state lithium metal cell technology for use by the aviation and maritime sectors. The collaboration with aircraft manufacturers and naval architects is providing the impetus behind these results, and provides the confidence to our clients for key performance targets in the coming 2 years. It also means that SOLiTHOR is getting closer and closer to developing all-solid-state technology for the entire electromobility sector.”