Rimac Group, the Croatian electric hypercar maker that now controls Bugatti through its Bugatti Rimac joint venture with Volkswagen Group, has confirmed it is developing proprietary solid-state battery technology intended for deployment in a next-generation Bugatti electric vehicle by 2030. The disclosure, made by Rimac CEO Mate Rimac at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in late 2025, represents one of the most concrete commitments yet from a high-performance automaker to build solid-state cells in-house rather than rely on external suppliers.
Rimac’s In-House Approach
Unlike most automakers, which partner with dedicated cell manufacturers, Rimac has chosen to develop its own solid-state cell chemistry, pack architecture, and production processes. The company’s battery division, Rimac Technology, employs more than 700 engineers at its campus outside Zagreb and operates a pilot cell production line with an annual capacity of 2 GWh.
Rimac has not disclosed the specific electrolyte chemistry under development, but patent filings from 2024 and 2025 reference a hybrid sulfide-polymer solid electrolyte paired with a silicon-lithium composite anode. The company has stated publicly that its target cell-level energy density is 450 Wh/kg — 70% above the best cells currently used in the Rimac Nevera, which employs a custom 120 kWh NMC liquid-electrolyte pack achieving 260 Wh/kg.
At 450 Wh/kg, a Bugatti-class vehicle could carry a 100 kWh battery pack weighing 220 kg — less than half the mass of a comparable liquid-electrolyte pack. For a hypercar where weight directly governs performance, lap times, and driving dynamics, the reduction is transformative.
- Target energy density: 450 Wh/kg at the cell level
- Target pack weight: ~220 kg for a 100 kWh system
- Charging target: 10%–80% in under 15 minutes
- Vehicle deployment: Next-generation Bugatti EV, targeted for 2030
Why Bugatti Matters for the Broader Industry
Bugatti’s ultra-low production volumes — the brand typically builds fewer than 100 vehicles per year — mean that the direct market impact of a solid-state Bugatti is negligible. But the strategic significance lies in the technology development itself. High-performance applications serve as proving grounds for new battery chemistries, subjecting cells to extreme current demands, thermal loads, and vibration profiles that accelerate the identification of failure modes.
Rimac Technology already supplies battery systems and powertrains to other automakers, including Hyundai, Porsche, and Aston Martin. Solid-state cells validated in a Bugatti hypercar could subsequently be adapted for lower-cost, higher-volume platforms — a trickle-down model that has historical precedent in Formula 1’s influence on road-car hybrid systems.
“We are not building solid-state batteries because of a marketing story. We are doing it because the Bugatti after the Chiron must be genuinely better in every measurable way, and that is not achievable with today’s liquid-electrolyte cells. The physics demand a new approach.” — Mate Rimac, CEO, Rimac Group
Challenges and Competitive Landscape
Rimac’s 2030 timeline is ambitious. No manufacturer has yet demonstrated a solid-state cell at 450 Wh/kg with the cycle life and fast-charging capability required for an automotive application. Toyota, which has invested more than $13.5 billion in battery development through 2030, is targeting a production solid-state cell in the 2027–2028 timeframe at a somewhat lower energy density of 350–400 Wh/kg.
Rimac’s advantage may lie in its relatively small scale requirement. Producing solid-state cells for fewer than 100 hypercars per year sidesteps the gigafactory-scale yield challenges that haunt mass-market programs. It allows Rimac to use more expensive materials and tolerate higher per-cell costs — conditions that make early-generation solid-state technology more feasible.
Whether the technology developed for Bugatti can eventually be manufactured at costs suitable for mainstream vehicles remains an open question. But Rimac’s commitment adds another credible entrant to the solid-state race and underscores a growing industry consensus that the technology’s commercialization is a matter of when, not if.
