Q&A
HOW DO SOLID-STATE BATTERIES WORK?
JOHN AWBERY, VIA EMAIL
Most conventional electric vehicles and mobile phones use lithium-ion batteries, which have an electrolyte gel inside them to separate the positively charged graphite anode from the negatively charged lithium cathode. These are relatively cheap to make but suffer from thermal runaway – heat them beyond a specific temperature and an unstoppable chain reaction causes them to disintegrate in fiery explosions. Solid-state batteries replace the electrolyte gel with a solid material such as ceramic or glass, which makes them less flammable, faster charging, lighter, and higher power. At present, they’re still under development and remain costly to manufacture. This may soon change, as companies are spending billions on the development of this new technology.