Swiss Clean Battery AG
Founding of the first Gigafactory for the series production of solid-state batteries
In more than 30 years of basic research, the solid ion conductor was developed at High Performance Battery Holding AG, the 100% parent company of High Performance Battery Technologie GmbH. SCB AG is the first licensee for the production of the solid-state battery.
Become an essential part of the energy transition with us and help to meet the increasing global demand for energy.
Proof of Concept
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Proof of Concept Research
30 years of basic research achieved in the model cell
In more than 30 years of basic research, a precursor technology has been successfully developed that still contains a liquid inorganic electrolyte. With approx. 50,000 cycles, these cells already have an extremely long service life. Industrial production was implemented and a container for grid stabilisation was delivered and successfully put into operation. The conversion of this liquid electrolyte into a solid ion conductor within the cell is the second groundbreaking innovation of HPB AG.
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Proof of Concept Development
The fixed ion conductor was measured and characterised in sample cells.
The fixed ion conductor was presented to an interested specialist audience for the first time at the EMPA Battery Day in August 2022.
SCB works with a solid ion conductor that is filled into the cell in liquid form and then forms within the cell (similar to a "multi-component adhesive"). Therefore, SCB does not have the "classic problems" of other solid-state battery producers with modular construction, where "physical modules" are inserted into the cell from the outside.
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Proof of Concept Production
Use of established production processes for the manufacture of classic batteries with liquid electrolyte.
The manufacturing processes for batteries with liquid electrolytes have been tried and tested in many ways and are mature. The chemistry of our fixed-ion conductor allows the fixed-ion conductor to be produced within the battery cell and can draw on the production processes for batteries with liquid electrolyte. This significantly reduces the implementation risks "from lab to production" compared to other solid-state battery projects and makes our technology an attractive investment.
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A new temporary storage
The energy transition worldwide needs efficient storage technologies. In Germany, electricity production from renewable energies (primarily wind and solar) has overtaken traditional electricity production from fossil energies (primarily coal, gas and uranium). For electricity production to be able to do without fossil energy sources in the long term, electricity producers, grid operators and consumers need intermediate storage.
The fifth generation of batteries:
- 1880 Lead-acid
- 1900 Nickel-cadmium
- 1980 Nickel-metal hydride
- 1990 Lithium-ion
- 2018 Solid-state battery from HPB AG
According to current calculations, the demand for buffer storage in Germany alone amounts to 11.3 TWh. To cover this immense demand just once with batteries, about 87 gigafactories with an annual production of 5 GWh each would have to produce batteries for more than 25 years. Only then would it be possible to completely phase out fossil fuels in Germany by 2050.
As a new basic technology, our solid-state battery makes an important contribution to this. The combination of its properties is a "game changer" and a success factor for the success of the energy transition. The properties of the electrolyte have already been confirmed by independent research institutes. The precursor technology, which Prof. Dr. Günther Hambitzer played a key role in developing while still on a liquid basis, has successfully completed more than 50,000 charging cycles to date and has been in use for grid stabilisation in the USA since 2017.
The top layer makes the difference: Conventional lithium-ion batteries age because a top layer develops on their anodes through charging and discharging. This grows over time and with each use, even faster the more intensively the battery is used. This growth of the top layer consumes capacity and increases the internal resistance, the performance of the battery decreases.
With our innovative battery technology, a very thin top layer is formed during the first charge. After that, it no longer grows. By using our patented electrolyte (fixed ion conductor), the internal resistance and capacity will remain virtually constant over the lifetime of the battery. No matter how much the battery is stressed.
The fields of application for the HPB solid-state battery are diverse and concern the generation, distribution, and consumption of electricity.
Numerous research groups worldwide are working on the development of solid-state batteries. The approaches being pursued differ primarily in the favoured battery chemistries. Current patent analyses list around 2,900 patent families dealing with solid ion conductors. These can be grouped according to chemical similarity, with oxide and sulphide fixed ion conductors together accounting for around 80 % of cases.
Common to all these approaches, however, are major challenges in production. For example, oxide fixed ion conductors have to contend with high ion transfer resistances at the material boundaries between electrodes and electrolyte. One exception is the solid-state battery, which we have developed over 30 years of research. Here, the solid electrolyte is formed directly in the cell from liquid starting materials. This means that central production problems for solid-state batteries can be avoided.
The use of liquid starting materials has another decisive advantage: it makes it possible to use established production technology in cell manufacture - technology that is used thousands of times in the manufacture of conventional lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolyte. In this way, the production of our green solid-state battery can be scaled up without having to develop new production technologies specifically for this purpose.