Solid-state battery design enters an inflection point as the race towards commercialisation hots u

After years of declining sales, shrinking margins, and a major corporate restructuring, Nissan is pushing to re-establish itself as a technological leader. While the carmaker’s recovery plan includes plant closures, layoffs, and a refreshed product portfolio, its R&D organisation has not slowed

In the background of a difficult transition, Nissan has quietly positioned itself at the forefront of one of the most consequential energy-storage shifts of the decade: the industrialisation of solid-state batteries (SSBs).

According to recent reporting, Nissan’s prototype all-solid-state cells have now reached performance levels suitable for mass production, with support from Sacramento-based LiCAP Technologies. LiCAP specialises in dry-electrode fabrication, a manufacturing method that eliminates solvent-based slurry coating - a breakthrough many industry analysts view as essential for economically viable solid-state production. Combined with Nissan’s ASSB pilot line, operating since early 2025, the company is targeting pack-level costs of around $75/kWh, far below last year’s global average of $115/kWh.

These developments align with broader industry trends identified in IDTechEx’s Solid-State Batteries 2026–2036 analysis, which forecasts a US$10 billion SSB market by 2036 driven by automotive demand, materials innovation, and regionalised supply-chain strategies.

DRY ELECTRODE PROCESSING

The introduction of dry electrodes is arguably the most strategically significant element of Nissan’s SSB development. The conventional wet process requires the mixing of active materials, conductive additives, and binders into a solvent slurry before coating, drying, and calendaring. This adds energy cost, time, and large capital expenditure for long drying ovens.

Dry-electrode processing, by contrast, compacts a dry powder mixture directly onto the current collector using roll-pressing equipment. The absence of solvent significantly reduces energy consumption and removes the bottleneck of oven drying – a major impediment to both cost reduction and gigawatt-scale throughput.

However, executing dry-electrode manufacturing at high uniformity and low defect rates is exceptionally challenging. Nissan’s partnership with LiCAP – already operating a 300 MWh production line for its Activated Dry Electrode process – suggests the automaker is accelerating toward manufacturable, large-format cells more rapidly than many competitors.

GLOBAL COMPETITION INTENSIFIES

Nissan is not alone in pushing toward commercial-scale SSBs. In recent months, QuantumScape, backed by Volkswagen, began shipping near-production SSB samples to customers, while Factorial Energy in Massachusetts is currently preparing joint test programmes with Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. South Korea, Japan, and China continue to dominate materials and electrolyte innovation, while the US and Europe invest heavily in localisation to reduce dependence on East Asia.

This reflects the global dynamics outlined by IDTechEx: SSB progress now hinges on integrated ecosystems – materials suppliers, gigafactories, OEMs, and advanced manufacturing start-ups – rather than cell developers operating in isolation.

MATURING ELECTROLYTE SYSTEMS

Solid-state batteries replace flammable organic liquids with solid electrolytes, improving safety and enabling high-capacity lithium-metal anodes. But each electrolyte system presents distinct engineering trade-offs:

Sulfide Electrolytes

• High ionic conductivity (~10^-² S/cm)
• Compatible with cold-pressing and scalable powder processing
• Air-sensitive, generating H₂S and requiring stringent moisture control

Oxide (Garnet) Electrolytes

• Outstanding chemical stability with lithium metal
• Require high-temperature sintering and face contact-resistance challenges
• Well-suited for long-life stationary storage

Polymer Electrolytes

• Highly manufacturable and flexible
• Limited room-temperature conductivity
• Emerging block-copolymer and ceramic-filled variants mitigate dendrite formation

As the IDTechEx report highlights, no single technology is dominant; instead, manufacturers are adopting hybrid solid–semi-solid approaches to improve manufacturability and reduce stack pressure requirements.

THE HURDLE BETWEEN LAB AND MARKET

While laboratory cells routinely demonstrate high energy density and safety, mass production remains the principal barrier to commercialisation. Key engineering challenges include:

• Achieving high-density interfaces between electrolyte and electrode without liquid infiltration
• Suppressing lithium dendrites in solid–solid contact systems, especially under fast charge
• Maintaining stack pressure uniformly across large pouch cells
• Tight particle-size control for powder-based electrolytes to avoid porosity-driven impedance
• Developing gigascale dry-room conditions, particularly for moisture-sensitive sulfides

Nissan’s pilot line confirms that OEMs are transitioning from cell-level optimisation to system-level engineering, including pack integration, mechanical design, thermal management, and advanced battery management strategies tailored to solid-state chemistries.

PERFORMANCE AND COST OUTLOOK

If Nissan achieves its cost target of $75/kWh, solid-state batteries could undercut current lithium-ion packs while delivering:

• ~2× energy density, enabling 600–800 km EV ranges
• One-third charging time, through high-rate lithium-metal architectures
• Improved safety, thanks to non-flammable electrolytes and stable thermal behaviour
• Reduced pack size and mass, benefitting vehicle architecture and efficiency

IDTechEx forecasts that the first wave of SSB adoption will occur in premium EVs, heavy-duty trucks, UAVs, and defence applications, followed by cost-down diffusion into mass-market passenger cars in the early 2030s.

BETTING ON SOLID-STATE

Nissan’s resurgence may be uncertain, but its solid-state battery progress signals a broader shift: SSBs are moving from decade-long promise to tangible industrial development. With the convergence of dry-electrode manufacturing, maturing sulfide chemistries, and aggressive global investment, the industry is entering a critical inflection point.

For engineers, the story is no longer whether solid-state batteries will arrive, but how quickly companies like Nissan, QuantumScape, Factorial, Toyota, and emerging US start-ups can overcome the last engineering barriers standing between pilot lines and true gigafactory-scale production.