Saft’s solid-state battery production in Bordeaux targets aviation and space, where safety and energy density matter most
(Image courtesy of Saft)
Saft inaugurated new solid-state battery production lines at its Bordeaux site on October 19, giving the TotalEnergies affiliate industrial capacity for cells that combine sulphide and polymer electrolytes at room temperature. The company says it is the first French manufacturer able to develop and produce that pairing, and the lines turn several years of research into manufacturing aimed at aviation and space, where gains in safety and energy density matter most.
Solid-state battery production at Bordeaux
The Bordeaux solid-state battery production lines serve a technological pairing that Saft says suits a wide range of applications. Chief executive Cédric Duclos called them an important milestone because they convert years of research into real industrial capacity, and he linked them to Saft’s ambition to establish France and Europe as leading players in the technology.
Dry electrode process in solid-state battery production
Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte of conventional lithium-ion cells with a solid material, and Saft says that change improves safety while lifting energy density by up to 50% over classic lithium-ion. The cells are also made with a dry electrode process, which the company says cuts CO₂ emissions from that stage of production by up to 40%.
First semi-solid cells go to Safran for testing
Saft has already delivered semi-solid cells for evaluating future electric and hybrid aircraft architectures. Safran, whose partnership with Saft was announced at the 2025 Paris Air Show, says the cells were developed and manufactured on the new multi-technology lines in Bordeaux, so the delivery marks a move from concept study to concrete evaluation. Most of the cells will go to Safran’s System Test Center in Niort, which will handle most of the validation and integration work needed to develop future battery systems for electric and hybrid-electric propulsion.
From 2027, the partnership will extend from semi-solid cells to solid-state cells and batteries in line with the technology roadmap Safran describes. The next stages centre on evaluating the delivered cells, building more advanced battery prototypes and maturing the technology for future aeronautical applications.
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