Stellantis to trial solid-state batteries in Dodge Charger Daytona

Stellantis has announced it will begin testing its next-generation solid-state battery technology in the latest Dodge Charger Daytona in a pioneering trial that will begin in 2026.

The French-Italian-American car giant says the trial will be in cooperation with US-start-up Factorial and will involve solid-state batteries that have an energy density of more than 390Wh/kg – much higher than the 270Wh/kg rating of current lithium-ion cells.

No further details have been released on the next-generation power packs, but with the higher density and lower weight, the solid-state Chargers are set for boast a significant improvement in range and performance compared to the standard car.

Stellantis hasn’t revealed how many Charger Daytonas will run the prototype batteries but says that the trial will evaluate the powertrain’s performance and durability in real-world conditions.

If successful, Stellantis says other cars that share the Dodge’s STLA Large platform will be fast-tracked for the new batteries.

The race to introduce solid-state batteries is well underway but until now, many car-makers have struggled pushing the cells into even limited production.

MG parent company, SAIC, says it will start rolling out its solid-state tech as soon as next year since its IM L6 sedan already employs a pioneering semi-solid-state pack that sees it cover up to 800km on a single charge.

Fellow Chinese car-maker Chery says its cells will be ready from 2026 with an energy density of 600Wh/kg.

Nissan has meantime said its solid-state batteries will be rolled out from 2028 while Toyota is confident it will be able to commercialise its next-gen technology from 2027.

Finally, the Volkswagen Group’s battery arm, PowerCo, had announced it will task American firm QuantumScape to produce its next-gen power packs on its behalf.

Hailed as the holy grail of battery technology over the last six years,?solid-state batteries?are generally regarded as the final piece of the puzzle that will allow the full transition from combustion to electric vehicles.

Said to be at least 50 per cent more energy-dense than traditional cells, as well as providing vehicles with up to twice as much range, they are also capable of being charged three times as quickly.

Despite announcing testing would begin in 2026, Stellantis has not declared when it plans to begin mass-producing the solid-state batteries once the trial ends.

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