Québec, Québec — Canadian battery material specialist Hydro-Québec has partnered with Mercedes-Benz to develop solid-state batteries for EVs as part of the automaker’s research on the future potential of zero-emissions vehicles.
Hydro-Québec and Mercedes-Benz researchers will cooperate to test new materials under field conditions to accelerate and analyze the development cycle of Hydro-Québec’s solid-state batteries.
Hydro-Québec’s Centre of Excellence in Transportation, Electrification and Energy Storage has reportedly developed advanced battery materials, focusing on solid-state battery technologies. The company says it has achieved “promising results for future battery performance, range, weight” as well as in harnessing the potential of safe, solid-state material for EVs.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Mercedes-Benz, an automotive company with an enviable reputation, to pursue our research even further,” said Karim Zaghib, general manager of Hydro-Québec’s Centre of Excellence. “Our association will allow us to test new materials quickly in field conditions and so accelerate the development cycle and respond to the concerns of automobile manufacturers.”
“The battery is a key component of our electric vehicles. Mastering their chemistry is, therefore, a focal topic for Mercedes-Benz research and development,” said Jochen Hermann, vice president of eDrive development at Mercedes-Benz. “Solid-state batteries are supposed to be the next important technology leap for e-mobility, meaning an alternative to today’s Li-ion battery systems. The latest advancements Hydro-Québec researchers have made are very promising and we are looking forward to the first results of our joint development program.”
The joint research activities will be carried out at Hydro-Québec’s center of excellence in transportation electrification and energy storage in Canada as well as the SCE France laboratory, a Hydro-Québec subsidiary.
