A Stunning Leap in Engineering Just Made Solid-State Batteries 100x Better
Solid-state batteries, currently only found in small devices like hearing aids, pacemakers, and wearables, provide benefits in both power and safety.
TDK Corporation in Japan, a component supplier to companies like Apple, says it’s increased its solid-state battery energy output at 1,000 watt-hours per liter, which is 100 times better than its previous battery.
While this battery breakthrough will first arrive to wearables and other small devices, similar solid-state breakthroughs could also revolutionize electric vehicles, laptops, and smartphones.
The future of consumer technology is all about packing more power into smaller footprints, and Japan-based TDK Corporation, which provides parts for companies like Apple, is continuing this trend with what it calls a breakthrough in solid-state battery technology.
According to the Financial Times, TDK has created a solid-state battery, designed for small devices such as smartwatches, hearing aids, and wireless earphones, that is a stunning 100 times more energy-dense than the company’s current rechargeable solid-state batteries found in things like home sensors, bluetooth devices, and wearables.
TDK estimates its new battery energy at roughly 1,000 watt-hours per liter (Wh/l). That’s considerably better than coin cell batteries, which use a conventional liquid electrolyte, coming in at about 400 Wh/l.
“We believe that our newly developed material for solid-state batteries can make a significant contribution to the energy transformation of society,” TDK’s chief executive Noboru Saito told The Financial Times. “We will continue the development towards early commercialization.”
Made with an all-ceramic material and an oxide-based solid electrolyte, this power-packed cell will be considerably safer compared to liquid alternatives, according to TDK. Because it packs so much power in a small footprint, the battery will likely pave the way for ever-smaller devices with longer running times. Who knows? Battery life may soon be measured in weeks, rather than days.
But there’s one problem with moving this kind of battery into commercial production. Making these batteries bigger to fit electric vehicles, or even just smartphones, is a pretty big engineering challenge. That’s because ceramic doesn’t exactly size up well, so larger batteries would be considerably more fragile. So while this battery breakthrough could be a big upgrade for small devices, the era of solid-state batteries in smartphones and electric cars is still a ways off.
But it’s a future that’s quickly coming into view.
Earlier this year, Toyota announced that its solid-state battery could travel up to 750 miles on a single charge; that’s more than enough to combat ever-present range anxiety. But the story of Toyota’s long-promised solid-state EV shows just how difficult making such a battery can be. Originally, the company’s first solid-state cars were supposed to hit the road in 2021, but now that’s been delayed to at least 2027. And don’t worry about those charging times—as research released earlier this year shows, solid-state EV batteries could charge within minutes.
Solid-state batteries have long powered small devices like pacemakers and hearing aids, and TDK’s breakthrough adds more fuel to that smoldering revolution. Let’s just hope this technology reaches the big time sooner than later.
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