Ampcera's solid-state battery tech surpasses DOE fast charging goal.

Due to mounting charge anxiety over limited at-home charging options and prolonged urban charging station wait times, the United States Advanced Battery Consortium and U.S. Department of Energy have both set commercial manufacturers a goal of 80% battery ultrafast charge in 15 minutes – which Ampcera's all-solid-state (ASSB) battery tech has just blown past.

Last year, Ampcera was awarded a $2.1 million grant from DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) as part of the EVs4ALL program. This grant supports Ampcera's commitment to advancing the development and commercialization of an all-climate, fast-charging ASSB technology.

"We look forward to working with ARPA-E and strengthening our partnership with EC Power and Ford through prototype development and testing for EV applications," said Emery Brown, Ampcera's operations manager.

Ampcera's solid battery tech

Ampcera is a U.S.-based global leader in the groundbreaking development and commercialization of solid-state electrolyte materials and scalable battery manufacturing processes. With over 25 U.S. and international patents and patent applications, the company is working in collaboration with key industry partners to push widespread solid-state adoption forward as quickly as possible.

This month, the solid-state electrolyte and battery manufacturing pioneer announced that its all-solid-state battery technology has achieved a milestone of zero to 80% charge in under 15 minutes at a peak C-rate of 4C. (C-rate is the unit used to measure the speed at which a battery is fully charged or discharged. For example, charging at a rate higher than 1C means a faster charge; a 4C rate is four times faster and results in a full charge in 15 minutes.)

This advancement demonstrates the fast-charging potential of Ampcera's ASSB as a key requirement for the widespread adoption of solid-state batteries in electric vehicles.

Ampcera's solid-state electrolyte technology involves a high-capacity nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide cathode and a silicon-based anode built for extremely fast charging, achieving a high energy density goal of 400 watt-hours per kilogram. The battery is engineered without any liquid or semi-solid electrolyte, improving battery safety, which is especially crucial during risky, heat-generating, rapid charging cycles.

Lab-scale pouch cells exhibited less than 5% capacity decay after 300 cycles of peak 4C repeated fast charging, demonstrating the potential for long cycle life in commercial cells once fully developed.

"Ampcera's high-performance solid-state electrolyte materials have propelled ASSB technology beyond the U.S. Department of Energy's ambitious fast-charging benchmark of achieving an 80% charge in under 15 minutes," said Ampcera CEO Sumin Zhu. "Our primary objective is to introduce a commercially viable fast-charging ASSB technology that addresses consumer charge anxiety caused by extended wait times at charging stations."