At CES 2026 last month, one of the main themes, besides the advancement of humanoid robots coming to market, was solid-state batteries are moving beyond the lab.
From eVTOL aircraft to high-performance electric mobility platforms, manufacturers are signaling that commercialization is accelerating. But as solid-state chemistries transition from prototype cells to real-world products, environmental testing strategies must evolve alongside them.
For battery manufacturers, the shift is not just about chemistry. It is about validating safety, performance, and reliability under new and unfamiliar conditions.
Solid-state batteries replace liquid electrolytes with solid materials often ceramic, polymer, or sulfide-based. While this design promises improved thermal stability and higher energy density, it introduces new variables:
These differences demand more than traditional lithium-ion validation protocols. They require adaptable, containment-ready, fully integrated test systems.
One of the most significant advantages of solid-state technology is increased energy density. For aerospace and advanced mobility platforms, this is a breakthrough.
But greater stored energy increases the consequence of failure.
Environmental chambers used for solid-state validation must account for:
Standards such as SAE J2464 still guide battery abuse testing, but evolving chemistries require flexible systems capable of safely evaluating unknown failure behaviors.
AES battery chambers are engineered with safety at the forefront built to contain, monitor, and manage high-energy events while maintaining precise environmental control.
Unlike conventional lithium-ion cells, some solid-state designs require stack compression to maintain contact between internal layers.
This introduces additional test considerations:
Environmental test equipment must support these variables without sacrificing temperature uniformity or chamber performance. AES systems are designed for configurable integration, allowing engineers to adapt as cell architectures evolve.
Many solid-state developers promote improved cold-weather and high-temperature performance. These claims must be validated through:
AES performance chambers, capable of extended temperature ranges and tight uniformity control, provide the repeatability required for next-generation chemistry validation.
When paired with integrated cycler communication, engineers gain synchronized chamber and battery control while reducing risk and improving data accuracy.
As solid-state batteries scale from R&D to module and pack-level validation, isolated systems create inefficiencies and safety risks.
AES eliminates integration complexity with fully engineered platforms:
These platforms are designed to support evolving chemistries without requiring customers to redesign their testing infrastructure as technology advances.
Since 1959, AES has designed environmental test chambers and integrated battery testing systems engineered for repeatability, safety, and scalability.
The solid-state battery shift represents more than an incremental improvement. It represents a new phase of energy storage innovation, one that demands adaptable infrastructure and forward-thinking validation strategies.
From lab to launch, AES provides the integrated platforms, containment-ready chambers, and patented battery testing systems required to validate emerging chemistries with confidence.
Innovation in chemistry must be matched by innovation in testing.