Ten years ago, Tesla was still in its infancy as a public company. Its Tesla Roadster — the first highway-legal production car to use lithium-ion cells — had only been on the road for a few years, but manufacturer interest in lithium-ion battery technology was heating up fast.
Back then, Yuxing Wang knew solid-state batteries faced a long road to commercialization, but they still dominated his research for the next decade. Eventually, he thought, solid-state technology might shape the battery of the future.
Today, Wang says it's not a question of if, but when.
That's the driving force behind MilesAhead Energy. Co-founded by former UDRI scientists Wang and Luis Estevez, the Dayton-based startup is developing and commercializing solid-state batteries to power automotive, military and aerospace applications.
Why solid-state? The reason is twofold. Unlike their lithium-ion counterparts, solid-state batteries are more durable and can operate in extreme temperatures, meaning they aren't as prone to thermal runaway — a known safety issue in modern EVs.
"As companies look at electrifying their vehicle fleet, they are going to run into problems like battery fires — especially as the battery ages," Wang said. "That's what drives car manufacturers to look into solid-state as a safe alternative."
The other advantage, Estevez said, is flexibility. Since solid-state cells don't contain liquid electrolytes, the battery can be designed to fit a broader range of forms and formats. That opens up lots of potential engineering avenues into new markets, he said.
"That’s the main benefit of solid-state, and that’s why everyone’s moving toward it," he said. "It’s an inevitability at this point."
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MilesAhead Energy is working toward proof of concept for its solid-state battery. For now, Wang is fabricating test cells from a makeshift machine shop in his basement, but he hopes to eventually launch a dedicated lab in the Dayton area.
The company should achieve proof of concept in 2022, and Estevez said he'd like to develop a "cell phone-sized" prototype within the next two to three years.
Once the prototype is complete, MilesAhead Energy will start seeking capital — primarily through non-dilutive funding opportunities like the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs — to bring its battery to market.
The goal is to achieve pilot scale by 2027. From there, Wang and Estevez will seek out EV manufacturers that want to vertically integrate solid-state battery production into their existing manufacturing processes.
"At that point, we would consider ourselves to be a prime candidate for acquisition," Estevez said.
Though MilesAhead Energy is still an early-stage company, Wang and Estevez are already identifying potential early adopters — namely manufacturers of drones and other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Defense and aerospace applications are on the drawing board as well, Wang said — especially those dealing with high power demand or extreme temperatures.
"Lithium-ion is just not suitable for applications where you can encounter all sorts of environments," he said. "That's where solid-state could help."
MilesAhead Energy certainly isn't the only company pursuing solid-state batteries. Solid Power, a battery developer backed by Ford and BMW, is working on them too. And to date, Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape Corp. has raised more than $800 million to commercialize the technology.
But according to Wang, most other companies are trying to make solid-state batteries that closely mimic lithium-ion solutions, meaning optimal cooling and low-temperature performance. MilesAhead Energy is doing the opposite.
"The biggest advantage of solid-state batteries is thermal stability," Wang said. "That's why we’re really trying to push the operating temperature up. Number one, we can separate ourselves from other competitors. And number two, we really can take advantage of what solid-state batteries bring."
MilesAhead Energy was the winner of Launch Dayton's 2021 Early Risers Academy tech cohort. The solid-state battery startup is headquartered in Dayton and led by Yuxing Wang and Luis Estevez, both former scientists with the University of Dayton Research Institute.
