a bonobo humanity?

Hmm – well, it’s a start

So I watched a video touching on solid state batteries (SSBs), and the difficulties involved in developing them and the promise they hold for the future of battery technology and electrification in general, in the battle for clean, renewable power generation. It was a bit nerdy, in other words way too technical for an arts-based ignoramus like me, but I do have a certain interest in learning and the future, so I want to get my head around the possibilities and the problems. So away we go.

Batteries are all about two electrodes, an anode and a cathode, with electrolytic material between them which enables charged ions to pass from one to the other. This material has generally been a liquid or a gel, but these materials have many efficiency (and flammability) problems, apparently.

So, to basics. How does a battery work? Why is it called a battery? AINL [Artificial Intelligence Never Lies] puts it this way:

A battery is a device that stores electrical energy in chemical form and converts it to  electricity on demand through electrochemical cells. It consists of two terminals (anode and cathode) separated by an electrolyte, and when connected to a circuit, a chemical reaction causes electrons to flow from the negative terminal through the circuit to the positive terminal, creating an electric current. 

Which raises more questions from the novice: what exactly is electrical energy, and how can it be stored in chemical form?

We have to get more basic. Energy is essentially stuff in motion, like a rock rolling down a hill, but also lightning, which is electrical. It ‘releases built-up electrical charges between a storm cloud and the ground, or between such clouds’ (AINL again). I’ve written about lightning before, quite a bit in fact, because it’s complicated. As to the term ‘battery’, it comes from Benjamin Franklin, whose early electrical experiments involved Leyden Jars, devices to store static electricity, linked together like a battery of cannons.

Anyway, no matter what I’ve written in the past, I have no idea what ‘electrical energy in chemical form’ means. Will I ever know? It has something to do with redox (oxidation-reduction) reactions, in which one chemical substance loses electrons (it’s oxidised) to another (which, counter-intuitively, is reduced, though I suppose that’s because electrons are negatively charged).

But I’m getting bogged down in the basics here – let’s accept as a given that batteries which use liquids or gels as the electrolytic material are never going to be as effective (energy-dense) or long-lasting, or safe, as those using solids (SSBs). The big issue is, why are SSBs so hard to create in a stable and effective form? Again according to AINL, it’s all about ‘high manufacturing costs, scalability, and performance issues, particularly in cold temperatures’.

Solid-state batteries being tried use lithium as the anode, from which lithium ions pass through a ceramic or solid polymer to a cathode of oxides or sulphides. Wikipedia briefly summarises the benefits and problems:

Solid-state batteries are potentially safer, with higher energy densities. Challenges to widespread adoption include energy and power density, durability, material costs, sensitivity, and stability.

These problems, or challenges, have been around for a long time, but apparently 2025 has been a year of real progress in the field, with lots of cashed-up, well-reputed manufacturers vying for SSB priority in making the crossing of ‘the valley of death’, as one expert puts it.  One of these is the Chinese state-owned car manufacturer, Chery, and another is VW, in partnership with others, including Gotion, a Chinese company that has produced a battery called Jinshi. AINL again:

This advanced battery technology offers a high energy density of 350 Wh/kg [watt-hour per kilogram], which can extend the driving range of EVs to approx. 1,000 km. The Jinshi battery is also noted for its enhanced safety features, durability and ability to charge quickly.

This energy density is apparently well over that produced by Tesla so far. Gotion is claiming a 1,000 km range for its battery, with ‘stable performance between -20 degrees celsius and 85 degrees (!), and a projected lifespan of a million kilometres. They’re expecting effective mass production by end of decade. As a 69-year-old, I can hardly wait – just to see it never mind drive it.

Another organisation VW is working with is QuantumScape (how impressive is that name) in the US. They’re apparently a well known company ‘in this space’, They’re working on a lithium-metal/anode-free solid-state cell. Their lithium-metal anode is ‘formed in-situ’ during charging, it isn’t a permanent ‘built’ thing, apparently. According to ‘Just have a think”, there is no pre-existing anode:

The solid electrolyte is in fact a ceramic separator which plays a dual role: it provides a highly conductive pathway for lithium ions and it physically impedes the growth of the dreaded lithium dendrites (that we’ve looked at in previous videos).

I’ve seen images of the dreaded dendrites, which form like little tree roots on the anode of lithium batteries when charging.

Anyway, just to change the subject for a mo, what about sodium batteries? Not for vehicles though – for home. Subject for another post.

So QuantumScape are promising higher energy density – 300 watt-hours per kilogram at cell level – and improved safety and faster charging, and a longer cycle life. It might all be hype, but they have at least demonstrated one of their SSBs in a VW Ducati electric motorbike, so that’s something.

‘Just have a think’ tells me that the two largest battery companies in the world are CATL and BYD, so let’s just have a look. CATL is a Chinese company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, which is ‘the world’s EV and energy storage battery manufacturer’. They’re into lithium-ion and other advanced battery technologies, for EVs and other commercial applications, including aviation. BYD (‘build your dreams’) is also Chinese but it has been focussing a lot on the Australian market, so I need to learn more about their operations here, where it’s been selling cars since 2022.

As for these companies’ development of commercially viable All-SSBs, they’re generally seeking to dampen expectations, as clearly they’re meeting with obstacles. Five years from now, more or less, seems to be their prediction. I can’t wait.

Obviously I’ve just started to scratch the surface of this technology, but it’s clearly stuff that’s got a lot of smart people and companies activated. I hope to educate myself further for future posts.

References

How Close Are We to Solid-State Batteries? (‘Undecided’ video)

Solid-State batteries. Finally arrived? (‘Just have a think’ video)