Mercedes-Benz and ProLogium, the Taiwanese developer of solid-state batteries, have signed a technology cooperation agreement to develop next-generation battery cells. The first Mercedes-Benz test vehicles equipped with co-developed solid-state batteries are expected to be introduced within a couple of years. The companies have also agreed on milestones that envisage integration of the solid-state battery technology into a range of production passenger vehicles in the second half of the decade.
Mercedes-Benz plans to go all electric by 2030 “wherever market conditions allow”. It says that by partnering with leading companies in the fast-evolving field of solid-state technology it is “pushing ahead its research and development activities, fostering further leaps in battery technology and continuously expanding its network of top-flight tech partners to ensure that it has access to the most up-to-date technologies.”
Solid-state battery cells are seen as critical to achieving lower cost, scalability and energy density in electric vehicle batteries and are expected to almost double the range of today’s lithium-ion battery cells.
Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG, Chief Technology Officer responsible for development and procurement, said, “We believe that range and efficiency are the new industry benchmarks for electric cars. Solid-state technology helps to cut down battery size and weight. This is why we are partnering with companies like ProLogium to ensure that Mercedes-Benz continues to break new ground in the automotive sector.”
Vincent Yang, CEO and Founder of ProLogium Technology added, “We expect to demonstrate the effective application of our safe, high-performance solid-state battery cells to meet the Mercedes-Benz top quality standards. At ProLogium, we believe that innovative technology must be backed by the scalability of production. We look forward to ramping up our new plant by the end of 2022 and working with our customers toward successful mass production.”
Under the agreement, Mercedes-Benz will take a seat on the ProLogium board of directors. The investment by Mercedes-Benz will be used to support the development of the technology and ProLogium’s plan of establishing production capacity in Europe.
