The battery developer SES, a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has won two unspecified car manufacturers as partners who want to develop lithium-metal batteries and lithium-ion batteries together with SES.
SES has dedicated itself to the development of AI-supported batteries and therefore has added AI as an abbreviation in its company name. With its ‘AI for Science’ initiative, the company has dedicated itself to mapping the molecular universe for research into next-generation materials.
The contracts with both global OEM partners have a total value of up to USD 10 million. The projects focus on the development of new electrolyte materials for lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries for automotive applications. The ‘AI for Science’ approach will be applied.
Founder and CEO Qichao Hu: “These new contracts with our automotive OEM partners are applying our AI-discovered electrolytes for Li-Metal B-sample developments and for the first time with mature Li-ion batteries already in commercial use. We believe this new revenue stream and these contracts validate and accelerate the commercial use of AI for Science for battery material discovery in automotive applications. We will work closely with our partners and with others in the space to extend our early leadership in this new opportunity.”
Founded in 2012, SES AI is a developer and manufacturer of Li-metal batteries with headquarters in Boston and offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Seoul. CEO Qichao Hu stated in July 2021 that the battery should have an energy density of 400 Wh/kg at cell level. In the past, General Motors, Hyundai-Kia and Honda have already entered into development partnerships with the company, which used to be called SolidEnergy Systems.
Last August, SES AI announced that it had successfully completed safety tests on its lithium metal battery cells in China. The company’s 100 Ah cell intended for electric cars had passed the tests in accordance with the Chinese safety standard GB38031-2020, it was reported at the time.
