As per Electrive, ION started collaborating with the US military to test these batteries and in March of this year achieved a 5% loss in just 125 cycles, an important milestone for the company's solid-state cells, which use more sustainable materials for manufacturing purposes.

Dr Nicholas Hudak, Director of Cell R&D at ION, said that "the combination of our next-generation ceramic electrolyte and unique cell architecture has enabled the only known anode-less, compression-less, lithium-metal battery that can cycle with this level of stability at 25°C."

Continuing the development of these batteries from the initial results in March, ION was able to achieve 800 cycles for these cells, which as per the company don't require an extensive cooling system or heavy fire barriers, citing some of their benefits.

The company's CTO, Dr Greg Hitz, added that "it is unprecedented for an anode-less cell to reach this kind of cycle life without compression. ION has now produced a cell with performance that’s compelling to replace a huge portion of the lithium-ion market."

Battery compression is a process required for traditional cells, such as lithium-ion models, in order to create a secure connection between the cell's various components, such as electrodes and the electricity collectors. This offers better efficiency and performance of the battery.

Failing to properly compress a battery can lead to swelling and increasing the pressure inside the cell, which ultimately leads to short-circuiting and potentially, fire.

ION Storage Systems is expecting to launch the first commercial version of its batteries in late 2024 for the first customers.