First solid-state battery Mercedes EQS offers 620-mile range and F1 technologies

Despite many proclamations, it is not Toyota or any other automaker that crafted the first production vehicle with a true solid-state battery, but rather Mercedes-Benz.

The first Mercedes with a solid-state battery is in the EQS sports sedan series, and it carries a pack with 25% higher energy density than its previous lithium battery with liquid electrolyte in the same footprint.

Since Mercedes runs multiple solid-state battery partnerships, including with ProLogium, it can choose its test vehicle supplier of solid-state cells, and picked Factorial Energy. Based in Massachusetts, Factorial also has joint solid-state battery development ventures with other automakers like Hyundai or Stellantis, but the Mercedes-Benz EQS is the first vehicle from a global manufacturer to come with one.

Mercedes says that the EQS has been modified slightly to accommodate the higher energy density system, and the modifications were done by its AMG High Performance Powertrains subsidiary that is also in charge of the brand's Formula 1 racing technologies that often get transferred to the rest of its portfolio.

The Mercedes EQS was equipped with a solid-state battery last quarter and, after all the lab tests, the automaker has now taken it on the road to complete the "1,000km", or 620+ miles range test.

The first generation of the Factorial Energy's retail solid-state battery has 25% higher energy density than the previous high-nickel pack in the EQS, but can fit in the same space and is much safer due to the lack of flammable liquid electrolyte.

That is why Mercedes has rated the solid-state battery EQS as capable of pulling 620 miles on a charge. The current top-shelf EQS has a big 118 kWh battery rated for 481 miles of range. That is on Europe's WLTP cycle, which is about 10% more generous than the EPA range estimate in the US, so the 620-mile range with the new solid-state battery will probably be in the vicinity of the 560-mile EPA range.

That is certainly still very impressive, though, as the inaugural EQS with a solid-state battery would beat the current record holder the Lucid Air GT which can do 512 miles on a charge with the exact same 118 kWh battery capacity.

"Being the first to successfully integrate lithium metal solid-state batteries into a production vehicle platform marks a historic achievement in electric mobility," said Siyu Huang, a CEO and cofounder of Factorial.

Mercedes and AMG, in their turn, took Factorial's battery cells with solid-state electrolyte, and created a patented floating housing with pneumatic actuators that compensates for the expansion and contraction of the battery material during charging and discharging, resulting in a better performance and longer lifespan.

Mercedes says that the next generation of its solid-state batteries will offer an even larger 40% increase in energy density, which should bring about some impressive range on a charge. For now, however, it is focused on road testing and fine-tuning of the first EQS with solid-state battery, and will be ready to report the results in a few months.

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