At the beginning of commercialization: company overview Factorial Energy
Factorial Energy, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, is one of the very large solid-state battery startups, with $250 million in capital raised to date. Factorial Energy is working with OEMs Mercedes, Stellantis and Hyundai to advance the mass production of solid-state batteries. In doing so, they have succeeded in becoming the first company to manufacture a solid-state battery with a capacity of 100 Ah and also to obtain UN 38.3 certification for it, which confirms that the solid-state cells can be transported safely. They have achieved this with their new polymer-based solid-state electrolyte material FEST (Factorial Electrolyte System Technology) in combination with a Li-metal anode (See Figure 1). Already in 2018, the first prototype of the cell – at that time with a capacity of just 1.3 Ah – was presented and will be optimized and scaled up in size over the next few years. By 2022, the cells had already reached a size of 20 Ah. Most recently, the 100 Ah cell was introduced, with which the company then also received certification according to UN 38.3.
Currently, Factorial is working on setting up a pilot production of its solid-state batteries and is building a production site for this purpose in Massachusetts. It is planned that the plant will be operational by the end of 2023.
Figure 1: Factorial FEST 100 Ah battery with polymer electrolyte and Li-metal anode, image copyright by Factorial Energy.
Interview with Dr. Raimund Koerver, Director of Innovation at Factorial Energy
Dr. Raimund Koerver is Director of Innovation at Factorial Energy. Dr. Koerver joined Factorial Energy in February 2022. Prior to Factorial Energy, he worked as a specialist for solid-state batteries at BMW’s Battery Cell Competence Center in Munich. Dr. Koerver earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry with focus on sulfide solid-state batteries from the Justus-Liebig University in Giessen under Prof. Jürgen Janek and holds several patents in advanced battery technology.
Hello Mr. Dr. Koerver, Factorial Energy has just announced that your 100 Ah Solid-State Battery has got its certification for shipment according to UN 38.3 safety certification. To obtain these requirements, some tests such as thermal abuse tests, overcharge tests and short circuit tests must be performed. Was it a big challenge to pass this test or is the battery chemistry automatically safe enough that this was not a big problem?
Dr. Koerver: The UN38.3 certification is standard for conventional lithium-ion batteries, although the higher the energy density of the cell, the more challenging those tests are to pass. Factorial is a leader in the development of next generation batteries. These combine high energy density with high safety. The fact that no other SSB manufacturer has publicly announced passing these tests on such a large format cell, is indicative of the challenges that can arise in the development and scale-up for next generation technologies.
What do you see as the biggest advantage compared to lithium-ion batteries?
Dr. Koerver: Future EVs will require even higher energy density batteries. Conventional lithium-ion batteries may not be able to meet these requirements, especially since their energy density is limited by the graphite anode. On top of this, safety concerns arise for such high energy systems, as the liquid, organic electrolyte is potentially flammable. When a solid electrolyte replaces the combustible organic components, the safety profile is enhanced. On top of this, solid electrolytes enable the usage of lithium metal as an anode material. Being light weight and having the most negative voltage, lithium is the ideal electrode material to improve the energy density of such batteries beyond those of today’s technology.
In which areas of application will a battery with liquid electrolyte still be superior to the solid-state battery in the future? Where do you see potential applications?
Dr. Koerver: It would be better to look at the entire cell chemistry in detail to get the whole picture, rather than identify a single component on its own. Batteries are not rated by the nature of their electrolyte but by KPIs, such as energy, safety and cost. Nevertheless, so-called conventional, carbonate-based electrolytes are generally considered to be more flammable. This gives solid-state batteries an advantage, especially in applications that operate in the vicinity of people and must therefore have the highest degree of safety.
You are using your FEST Factorial Electrolyte System Technology system, which is a polymer based Solid state battery. Is the system performing at ambient temperature? How do you compensate for cell swelling on cell/module level?
Dr. Koerver: That is correct and worth emphasizing. Many polymer-based technologies require elevated temperatures to deliver a competitive performance. Factorial’s technology differs in that the cell is fully functional at room temperature, which significantly increases it’s efficiency. However, our cell chemistry is also robust towards elevated temperatures, which is usually a challenge for lithium-ion-batteries.
Our technology uses lithium-metal as an anode, which indeed changes its volume during operation. During charge, the lithium is deposited (expansion) and stripped (shrinkage) during discharge, which is the normal operation of such a system. For this reason, Factorial’s scope does not stop at the cell level, but has also accumulated knowhow on module and pack level to guide OEMs in integration of our technology and design efficient compensation systems to accommodate our cells. The fact that we use a polymer-based electrolyte technology helps in this case, as it provides our cells with sufficient flexibility.
Factorial Energy announced in March that it plans to establish a presence in Munich. Will the company conduct its own development and research at this location, or what goals does Factorial aim to achieve with this site?
Dr. Koerver: At the moment, the main reason for Factorial’s presence in Germany is to be closer to our European partners, which will help the company to continue to build strategic relationships and work closely with key European suppliers and manufacturing partners. Additionally, this expansion provides access to the region’s advanced automotive expertise and prestigious universities and institutions for future team build-out to support customer validation and testing.
What are the next steps in the roadmap of factorial energy?
Dr. Koerver: Factorial continues to work closely with our automotive development partners in order to bring the technology to the market. A key operation in this is the start of our large cell production, which we will continue to ramp up. Now that we successfully achieved the milestone of our UN 38.3 safety testing, we plan to begin shipping our 100+Ah cells to customers for validation.
How will solid-state battery technology evolve in the next 10 years? How advanced will solid-state batteries be by then, and how dominant will they be in the market? Where does Factorial Energy see itself in 10 years?
Dr. Koerver: We anticipate that solid-state batteries (SSBs) will undergo significant advancements in the next decade. During the initial phase, we expect SSBs to progress through the commercialization stage where they will be incorporated and evaluated in vehicle designs by OEMs. Achieving cost-parity with the incumbent battery technologies will be a pivotal milestone, post which, we foresee a surge in demand for solid-state batteries.
In terms of the technology, Factorial Energy recognizes immense potential for innovation in solid-state batteries. We aim to continuously optimize and enhance our technology, bearing in mind that SSBs are relatively nascent compared to conventional Lithium-ion batteries, which have undergone refinements over several decades. Moreover, we anticipate the expansion of SSB applications beyond the automotive sector, with adjacent markets such as aviation and commercial vehicles adapting rapidly.
As for Factorial’s vision in the next ten years, we aspire to be a leading player in the solid-state battery domain. Our goals include establishing one or more Gigafactories with high production capabilities to serve our partners efficiently. Additionally, we are committed to fostering a corporate culture that not only attracts top-tier talent but also individuals with integrity and a shared purpose. We want our people to be proud to work here, to make a meaningful contribution to society, and to have fun.
Thank you for the interview!
More information about Factorial can be found here: https://factorialenergy.com/
