American companies may be playing catch-up to Asian battery giants, but solid-state cells could give the United States another shot at competing, Solid Power President and CEO John Van Scoter told InsideEVs in an interview. "All solid-state batteries can be the way that [the U.S.] can get back in and be competitive in the battery industry," he said.
The Colorado company is one of several American startups, including QuantumScape and Factorial, racing to commercialize the technology. Scientists generally believe solid-state cells can offer more range, faster charging, and less fire risk than today's lithium-ion packs. Manufacturing them at scale without defects has been extraordinarily hard, and the technology has spent years looking as if it is just around the corner.
Solid Power expects solid-state batteries to reach select high-end EVs by the end of this decade, with broader adoption in the early 2030s. It also received a $50 million U.S. Department of Energy grant in 2024 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
An electrolyte supplier, not a full-cell maker
Unlike some rivals, Solid Power is not trying to build complete batteries. It specializes in the electrolyte that moves lithium ions between the electrodes. In a conventional lithium-ion cell that electrolyte is usually a flammable liquid. Solid-state designs use polymers, oxides, or sulfides; Solid Power is betting on sulfides. Van Scoter said a flexible sulfide design can be incorporated into existing production lines at established battery makers.
Last month the company commissioned its Mobius pilot line in Thornton, Colorado, to make and sell electrolyte. It has been working with Ford, BMW, Samsung SDI, SK ON, and other partners not yet named. Van Scoter said joint development agreements with Ford and BMW are complete, and the focus is shifting to scaling production with major battery manufacturers. The Mobius line is expected to be operating by the end of the year, adding 45 metric tons of annual capacity, for a total of 75 metric tons with existing facilities.
With a silicon anode and a nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode, Solid Power says its sulfide electrolyte can reach 390 watt-hours per kilogram and last more than 1,000 cycles, versus about 250 to 280 Wh/kg for typical liquid-electrolyte NMC cells. With a lithium-metal anode, the company claims 440 Wh/kg, though it said those figures are theoretical and will depend on the cell maker. BMW, Samsung SDI, and Solid Power also have a three-way agreement in which Samsung SDI would make cells, BMW would develop modules and packs, and Solid Power would supply electrolyte. No public timeline was given. Van Scoter said the technology might mature first in defense, drones, and humanoid robots, where "the qualification cycles are shorter."