In the electric four-wheeler segment, people have been eagerly waiting for a car that can run up to 1000 km on a single charge. It seems Mercedes has finally ended this wait. A prototype of the Mercedes EQS sedan is being tested with a solid-state battery, which could deliver a range of over 1,000 km on a single charge. The first production car using this new battery technology is expected to be launched by the end of this decade. This means that in the coming years, this technology could significantly outperform internal combustion engine vehicles running on petrol and diesel.
The solid-state battery pack is currently undergoing capacity, durability, and performance testing in the UK. Mercedes-Benz has developed this advanced battery in collaboration with US-based Factorial Energy. Since early February, an EQS sedan has been modified to accommodate this new battery pack for testing purposes.
Mercedes states that the key focus has been on redesigning the battery housing. The solid-state battery pack uses a floating cell carrier equipped with pneumatic actuators, developed by Mercedes-Benz’s Formula 1 engineers in Brixworth. This system ensures better stability and efficiency by managing the expansion and contraction of battery cell materials during charging and discharging.
While the company has not yet revealed the full specifications, it has confirmed that the EQS’s current 12-module battery compartment allows for flexible configurations and capacity adjustments. Mercedes also claims that solid-state battery technology can increase the range by about 25% compared to a lithium-ion battery of the same size and weight. The brand expects the new solid-state unit to push the EQS prototype’s real-world range beyond 1,000 km.
In India, the EQS 580 sedan is currently available with a 107.8 kWh lithium-ion battery, offering a WLTP range of 588 km and 857 km in the Indian MIDC cycle. Last June, Factorial Energy confirmed that it had supplied Mercedes with battery cells featuring an energy density of up to 391 Wh/kg and a charging capacity of over 106 Ah. The battery pack also includes a patented lithium-metal anode and a polymer separator.