Mercedes-Benz has signed a joint testing agreement with Taiwanese battery developer ProLogium, giving the German carmaker priority access to its latest Gen4 solid-state battery cells.
The agreement moves the companies’ long-running battery partnership into another evaluation phase, with Mercedes-Benz carrying out electrical, thermal and safety testing at its own facilities and specialist external institutes.
The results will be used to assess whether ProLogium’s Gen4 technology is suitable for possible use in future Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles. No production model or launch timetable has been announced.
ProLogium calls the technology its Gen4 Superfluidized Inorganic Next-Generation Lithium Ceramic Battery. It uses a non-flammable inorganic electrolyte, ceramic separator technology and the company’s proprietary active safety system.
The company said the platform is being developed around five areas: safety, performance, energy density, manufacturing scalability and cost. It also claims the cells can support fast charging, high power output and low-temperature operation, although detailed performance figures were not disclosed in the announcement.
Mercedes-Benz chief technology officer Jörg Burzer said the testing programme was the next step in examining advanced battery technologies for future EVs.
The two companies have worked together since 2016. Their collaboration has covered pouch and prismatic lithium ceramic cells as well as ProLogium’s bipolar battery technology, while Mercedes-Benz is also a strategic investor in the battery company.
ProLogium is meanwhile expanding its manufacturing capacity beyond Taiwan. Its Taoke Gigafactory has completed GWh-scale manufacturing validation, while a new plant under construction in Dunkirk, France, is designed to reach 4GWh of annual capacity in its first phase and potentially expand to 44GWh.
For Mercedes-Benz, the agreement adds another solid-state battery development route as it evaluates battery technologies aimed at improving future EV range, charging performance and safety.
