World's First Gigafactory Founded in Switzerland

Solid-state batteries are considered the successor to conventional lithium-ion batteries. Intensive research is being carried out worldwide - now Switzerland is the first country to go into series production with this technology.

The energy transition towards renewable energies needs electricity storage, especially in view of the rapidly increasing electricity consumption and the exploding energy costs. But conventional battery technologies create serious resource and waste problems. Swiss Clean Battery (SCB) is now treading a new path with the production of a new and sustainable basic technology, the »green solid battery«.

Lithium-ion batteries are now well established in the battery world. But now that their production and use are soaring to astronomical heights, the downside of this development is becoming apparent: Raw materials are needed whose permanent availability is not guaranteed and some of which are extracted under inhumane conditions. And there are safety risks, as the batteries can lead to fires and explosions that are difficult to extinguish. Above all, however, there will be a huge mountain of waste in the near future. This is because the lifetime of conventional lithium-ion batteries is limited. They reach the end of their life after a few thousand charging cycles at the latest.

The solid-state battery produced by SCB, on the other hand, is supposed to last almost indefinitely and is 50 percent better in terms of environmental balance than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, according to the company, it is incombustible and therefore safe to use, contains no critical raw materials such as cobalt, is resistant to deep discharge and can be charged quickly.