SES develops and manufactures lithium-metal rechargeable batteries aimed at automotive and other applications, including electric vehicles (EVs) and eVTOLs. The company is led by founder and CEO Qichao Hu and has operating subsidiaries in Boston, Shanghai and Seoul. SES positions itself as a leader in Li-metal battery technology and manufacturing. The company intends to use recent funding to accelerate technology development and to expedite commercialization of its Li-metal batteries. SES also plans to expand its technical, business and manufacturing teams to support scale-up and market entry. The articles do not disclose revenue or user metrics. SolidEnergy Systems develops and produces advanced semi‑solid Li‑metal cells (Hermes™) with energy densities above 450 Wh/kg and 1200 Wh/L for customers in aeronautics, space, consumer drones, consumer electronics and automotive. The company emphasizes materials (anodes and electrolytes) and manufacturing processes that are compatible with existing Li‑ion cell manufacturing to enable scalability without costly new infrastructure. It is entering a commercialization phase and plans to expand its product line and broaden its customer base across UAV, wearables, smartphones and electric-vehicle markets. SolidEnergy announced it will use the new funds to expand manufacturing capability both internally and through cell manufacturing partners. The company also appointed Bud Collins, former CEO of NEC Energy Solutions and President of A123 Energy Solutions, as COO to lead operations during rapid growth. Founded in 2012 as an MIT spinoff and based in Woburn, Mass., SolidEnergy frames its mission as enabling higher energy density cells to transform connectivity and transportation. The company has raised more than $50M to date, including the latest round. SolidEnergy Systems, founded by MIT postdoc Qichao Hu, develops lithium-metal battery cells intended to substantially exceed conventional lithium‑ion performance. Its core innovations are an ultrathin lithium metal foil anode and a solid–liquid hybrid electrolyte (a thin solid coating plus a quasi‑ionic liquid) that deliver about 400 Wh/kg, operate at room temperature, and are non‑flammable. The company also implemented chemical modifications to the separator and cell design to prevent adverse reactions with lithium metal. The cells can be manufactured inside existing factories; SolidEnergy has begun manufacturing in Woburn, Massachusetts in a facility described as large enough to “house the wings of a Boeing 747.” The company planned a commercial launch beginning with cell‑phone batteries in November 2017, followed by car and drone batteries in 2018. Financially, SolidEnergy raised $12 million last year.

Total raised

$185M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series D

Latest activity

Apr 2021