It is the first solid electrolyte battery produced in mass.
After Tesla presented its new generation of lithium-ion batteries (with improved cells) during its Battery Day, here is Daimler (the parent company of Mercedes) unveiling a city bus with a solid electrolyte battery. This type of battery is considered by many specialists as the next step, succeeding the current lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolyte.
Its importance should therefore not be underestimated. According to Daimler, “solid State batteries have high energy density – about 25% more than lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolyte.” In addition to its remarkable energy density, this new type of battery would also have greater thermal stability, which would allow it to charge faster. Additionally, the battery operates without cobalt, a controversial component that is sometimes mined by children and even in conflict zones.
This bus, eCitaro G, will be equipped with a 441 kWh battery which will cover a range “of up to 220 kilometers under favorable conditions with moderate requirements in terms of speed, gradients and load, in combination. With normal weather, in the winter, with heating on, the eCitaro G will cover a distance of 170 kilometers”.
The charging power is advertised at 300 kW, and although Daimler does not specify a charging time, in theory this should translate to a fast charge of 0 to 80% in an hour, even an hour and a half. Daimler promises that the current eCitaro bus with a classic battery can very easily be converted to the new generation of batteries.
This new eCitaro G is also available with conventional lithium-ion batteries, but with a capacity limited to 396 kWh. Daimler has not yet announced a price or launch date for this new battery.
