ION Storage Systems, a Maryland-based manufacturer of safe, high-energy density, fast-charging solid-state batteries (SSB), announced a major milestone on its path to commercialization by achieving 800 cycles in its SSB cells. ION’s cell cycles without compression or volume change are typically a major impediment to SSB adoption.
This news comes on the heels of the company’s announcement in early 2024 that ION’s is the first anodeless SSB to achieve 125 cycles without pressure, the commissioning of its $30 million manufacturing facility, and its award of $20 million by ARPA-E for the development of SSBs for the electric vehicle (EV) industry.
ION’s battery cycle life already meets broad requirements for a variety of defense and public safety applications, and with this announcement, ION’s battery cells are now far exceeding the cycle life requirements for the over $24 billion consumer electronics battery market inclusive of devices.
“The combination of our next-generation ceramic electrolyte and unique cell architecture has enabled the only known anodeless, compressionless, lithium-metal battery that can cycle with this level of stability at 25° C,” said Dr Nicholas Hudak, Director of Cell R&D at ION.
Born out of the University of Maryland’s incubator, ION’s SSB platform is the first to achieve this milestone with an anodeless design without compression, representing a key step for ION’s goal of releasing its first-generation product in late 2024 to commercial customers.
“It is unprecedented for an anodeless cell to reach this kind of cycle life without compression,” added ION’s CTO, Dr Greg Hitz. “ION has now produced a cell with performance that’s compelling to replace a huge portion of the lithium-ion market. Next up is building it into commercial format, multi-layer cells off our pilot line and doing so with high repeatability to put in customers’ hands. Early glimpses of our larger format cells are looking just as promising, and I can’t wait to share them with everyone.”
ION’s patented solid-state anodeless technology provides a completely safe and more powerful alternative to traditional lithium-ion batteries and eliminates the need for less sustainable materials such as graphite with the use of a revolutionary 3D ceramic structure.
The company’s SSB requires no compression, swell budget, extensive cooling system or heavy fire barriers. Combined with the ability to accommodate existing and future cathode technologies, ION’s SSB platform provides simple and cost-effective manufacturing at scale.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News