Doug Campbell of Solid Power: Will Solid-state Batteries Displace Lithium ion?

At Benchmark Minerals Week’s Graphite+Anodes conference in Newport Beach, the Investing News Network sat down with Doug Campbell, CEO of Solid Power, to talk about solid-state batteries, next-generation anodes and his company.

Speaking about the role of graphite in anodes in the near term, Campbell said that “graphite isn’t dead yet, but metallic lithium as well as silicon are definitely on the horizon.”

Campbell said that solid-state batteries have emerged as the most viable candidate that could potentially displace lithium ion.

“[Some of the benefits of solid state are] higher energy, improved safety and when you think about a safer battery pack that’s basically a lower-cost battery pack,” he said, explaining that to reduce costs the focus should be at the cell level.

Looking over to the challenges of developing this next-generation technology, Campbell said that right now there’s not one solid-state technology that meets all electric vehicle performance metrics.

“Charge rate is more of a challenge for solid state when you are using lithium metal as an anode, [but] there have been some huge advancements, we’ve seen continuous improvements in the charge rate.”

The other challenge is economic —“we are introducing new materials to the supply chain and the costs of those materials really need to come down,” he added.

Listen to the interview above for more insight from Campbell, including his thoughts on what’s next for solid-state batteries and when he expects them to be implemented in electric vehicles.

You can also click here to listen to our full Benchmark Minerals Week interview playlist on YouTube.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Priscila Barrera, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in contributed article. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.