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Message: Hydro-Québec to develop batteries with Mercedes-Benz

Translation

Hydro-Québec has joined forces with the automotive giant Mercedes-Benz to develop a battery that could replace, as of 2026, the lithium-ion batteries used in several electric vehicles.

The partnership, valued at "a few tens of millions of dollars" by the crown corporation, will be formalized this morning.

It will allow Hydro-Québec's Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage and its new partner to accelerate the development of this new solid electrolyte battery technology. This could eventually equip both general public cars and trucks or coaches manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, according to Hydro-Québec.

The two companies said the new technology would power vehicles for longer periods of time and reduce the risks sometimes associated with lithium-ion batteries, such as leakage or overheating.

A first Hydro intends to "quickly test new materials in real-life conditions, to speed up the development cycle and provide conclusive answers to the concerns of car manufacturers".

" It's a first. We have often sold licenses to companies, but here we are really going to work with them, which will accelerate development, ”said Jonathan Côté, a spokesperson for Hydro. 

This research will mainly be carried out at the Varennes and Shawinigan Hydro installations, but also in Europe, where the automotive giant is based. Nearly 25 experts from the Crown corporation will work full time on the project over the next three years. 

Significant breakthrough

The battery is at the heart of the operation of electric vehicles, recalls Mercedes-Benz vice president of development for eDrive, Jochen Hermann. 

“Compared to current lithium-ion batteries, solid electrolyte batteries promise to be an important breakthrough for the electrification of transport. The advances made by Hydro-Québec researchers are very promising, and we are impatient to see the first results of our joint development program, he said yesterday.”

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