An investment of at least 10 million dollars. This is the figure put on the plate by Mercedes to support Factorial, a company based in Woburn, Massachusetts and specializing in the development of solid state batteries. “With Factorial as our new partner, we are taking research and development in the field of promising solid state batteries to the next level”, said Markus Schäfer, head of research and development at the Daimler Group and COO of Mercedes Cars. “With this collaboration, we combine Mercedes-Benz’s experience in battery development and vehicle integration with the comprehensive know-how of our partner Factorial in the field of solid-state batteries.”
The German automaker explained that it will work closely with Factorial, with which it will develop next generation battery technology with the aim of testing the cells of the new accumulators as prototypes as early as 2022, an important first step to then integrate them into production vehicles. The process will be limited to a small number of cars in a cycle that will span the next 5 years. “For Factorial Energy, it is a privilege to collaborate with Mercedes-Benz, which basically invented the car”, said Siyu Huang, co-founder and CEO of Factorial. “We look forward to working with them to further innovate the automobile with our clean, efficient and safe solid state battery technology”. In addition to access to technology, Mercedes’ investment will allow it to count on a member of the Factorial board of directors.
Solid state battery technology is pushing many car manufacturers to make significant investments in research and development of this type of accumulator, which is considered more efficient. With this solution, in fact, batteries can offer longer runtimes and shorter charging times. Implementing accumulators of this type on future cars in the range will allow Mercedes to support its effort in the field of electrification.
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