All-Solid-State Battery Development

Samsung SDI demonstrated an all-solid-state battery prototype with 900 Wh/L volumetric energy density — roughly double current lithium-ion cells — that can charge to 80% in 9 minutes and maintain capacity for 20+ years of driving. LG Energy Solution has a parallel program with polymer-sulfide hybrid electrolytes, targeting pilot production by 2028. Samsung SDI has a partnership with BMW to supply solid-state cells for next-generation EVs.

All-solid-state batteries replace the flammable liquid electrolyte in conventional lithium-ion cells with a solid material (sulfide, oxide, or polymer), eliminating the primary fire risk and enabling the use of lithium metal anodes that dramatically increase energy density. The technology has been "five years away" for decades, but Korean and Japanese companies are now investing at pre-production scale.

The winner of the solid-state battery race will reshape the EV industry — a battery that charges in 9 minutes, lasts 20 years, and doesn't catch fire removes the three biggest barriers to EV adoption. Korean battery makers (Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution, SK On) collectively control about 25% of the global EV battery market, and solid-state could either consolidate or disrupt that position.