Spinning Wheels and Solid Dreams: The Battery That Might Break Big Oil
Forget AI, this one startup might just do what no climate summit has: end the gasoline era. And all it took was a decade, a German racetrack, and one very stubborn battery.
Factorial Energy may have just taken us one step closer to the holy grail of green tech: a solid-state battery that could dethrone gasoline. In partnership with Mercedes-Benz, their prototype not only moved wheels, it survived autobahn speeds and German engineering standards.
What began in a Cornell lab now powers a luxury sedan. But building this breakthrough has meant production hell, failed prototypes, and a yield curve that nearly broke the team.
Three powerful signals:
- Solid-state batteries now work in real vehicles.
- Manufacturing yields are climbing, hitting 85%.
- Global giants like Mercedes, Hyundai, and Stellantis are all-in.
This is the kind of leap I explore in my upcoming book, where vision, grit, and systems thinking collide. The question now isn’t if the tech works, it’s whether we can scale it before our climate bill comes due. Are we finally ready to swap horsepower for kilowatt wisdom?
Read the full article on NY Times.
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Dr Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam, widely known as The Digital Speaker, isn’t just a #1-ranked global futurist; he’s an Architect of Tomorrow who fuses visionary ideas with real-world ROI. As a global keynote speaker, Global Speaking Fellow, recognized Global Guru Futurist, and 5-time author, he ignites Fortune 500 leaders and governments worldwide to harness emerging tech for tangible growth.
Recognized by Salesforce as one of 16 must-know AI influencers , Dr. Mark brings a balanced, optimistic-dystopian edge to his insights—pushing boundaries without losing sight of ethical innovation. From pioneering the use of a digital twin to spearheading his next-gen media platform Futurwise, he doesn’t just talk about AI and the future—he lives it, inspiring audiences to take bold action. You can reach his digital twin via WhatsApp at: +1 (830) 463-6967.
