The energy density of solid-state batteries significantly exceeds that of traditional lithium-ion batteries in real-world applications, offering a range of 250-800 Wh/kg compared to 160-325 Wh/kg typical of lithium-ion cells.
Energy Density Comparison
- Lithium-ion batteries, depending on chemistry, generally achieve from about 160 Wh/kg (LFP chemistry) up to around 250-325 Wh/kg (NMC chemistry and other advanced variants).
- Solid-state batteries, on the other hand, have demonstrated energy densities between 250 and 800 Wh/kg in various forms. Thin-film solid-state types can reach the upper end of this range, around 300-800 Wh/kg, while bulk solid-state batteries typically range from 250-500 Wh/kg. Some recent developments claim around 450 Wh/kg solid-state cells, which are also smaller and lighter than comparable lithium-ion batteries by about 33% and 40%, respectively.
- More conservative but still notable estimates of solid-state batteries’ energy density place them at about 30-50% higher than lithium-ion batteries, translating in practice to significantly lighter battery packs for the same energy capacity—for example, a 90 kWh solid-state battery pack might weigh roughly 262 kg instead of 363 kg for lithium-ion.
- Other authoritative comparisons note solid-state batteries delivering roughly 2 to 3 times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries, with figures around 500-700 Wh/kg for solid-state vs 250-300 Wh/kg for lithium-ion.
Implications in Real-World Applications
- The higher energy density of solid-state batteries means electric vehicles (EVs) could have lighter battery packs that store more energy in the same volume or weight, leading to longer driving ranges and/or lighter vehicles.
- However, current challenges such as high production costs, scalability issues, and technical problems like crack formation during charge/discharge cycles still limit widespread commercialization. Solid-state batteries are largely in prototype or small-scale production phases and expected to become more commonly available around 2026-2027 for EV applications.
- Lithium-ion technology remains mature, widely available, and reliable, but with inherent limits in energy density and safety that solid-state batteries promise to overcome.
In summary, solid-state batteries offer substantially higher real-world energy densities—roughly 30% to up to 3 times greater than lithium-ion batteries—enabling lighter, more energy-dense energy storage solutions. While this advantage is very promising for EVs and other applications, solid-state technology is still progressing toward practical large-scale deployment.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/how-does-the-energy-density-of-solid-state-batteries-compare-to-lithium-ion-batteries-in-real-world-applications/
