The electric vehicle revolution in the United States is gaining momentum in a part of the country that is no stranger to game-changing movements.
Facility Energy has opened the largest solid-state battery manufacturing plant in the United States near Boston, Business Wire reports. The news was seen as a boon for the local economy, which has benefited from government programs aimed at boosting the electric vehicle industry.
“Demand for batteries made in the USA is strong from automakers who produce electric or hybrid vehicles that are eligible for incentives,” Factorial executive chairman Joe Taylor told CleanTechnica. “Our plants will produce car-sized batteries at pre-production speeds and volumes “Public batteries open the door to mass production and economies of scale.”
The employees will create an innovative solid-state battery, which the company calls “FEST” (Factor Electrolyte System Technology).
Electric vehicles are typically powered by lithium-ion batteries, which use liquid electrolytes, which are substances in which chemical charge/discharge reactions occur. In solid-state batteries, the electrolyte, as the name suggests (solid), is usually made of ceramic or polymer. According to ACS Publications, FEST uses the latter and achieves excellent performance results.
Solid-state technology has clear advantages and is being studied in the laboratories of many companies, including Porsche. According to MotorTrend, benefits include high energy storage capacity (energy density), fast charging times, and a lower risk of fire than liquid power packs.
Disadvantages include cost and dependence on lithium and other rare metals, according to MotorTrend. But Factorial claims to improve on this concept.
FEST “delivers on the promise of semiconductor device performance, without any of the fatal flaws identified in technology iterations to date. The technology makes its high-performance market debut as a test bed for its performance and manufacturability,” the company says on its website.
What’s more, the technology will expand into new worlds as Factorial is developing the ink with Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Hyundai, Business Wire reports.
“We are excited to open a next-generation battery manufacturing plant in Massachusetts as we scale up battery manufacturing to achieve mass production,” said Xiyu Huang, CEO of Factorial.
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Post time: Nov-30-2023