Solid Power, Inc. Stock Compensation Disclosure
Note 8 – Stock-Based Compensation
2014 Plan and 2021 Plan
Options granted under the Solid Power, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”) have a ten-year term and vest as to th of these options after one year after the initial date of service of a service provider and with the of the options vesting in a series of 36 successive equal monthly installments following the first vesting date. Option awards under the 2014 Plan were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of Solid Power Operating, Inc.’s common stock at the date of grant. Certain option awards issued under the 2014 Plan provide for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control (as defined in the plan agreements).
Options granted under the Solid Power, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) during 2022 have a ten-year term and vest as to th of these options per year beginning one year after the initial date of service of a service provider. Options granted under the 2021 Plan starting 2023 have a ten-year term and vest as to th of the options one year after the initial date of service of a service provider then 6.25% per quarter thereafter. Option awards under the 2021 Plan were granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant. Certain option awards issued under the 2021 Plan provide for accelerated vesting if there is a change in control (as defined in the plan agreements).
Effective April 1, 2022, the Company began granting RSUs in accordance with the terms of the 2021 Plan. The grant date fair value of RSUs awarded are determined based on the Company’s closing common share price on the Nasdaq on the grant date. RSU awards for employees granted during 2022 generally vest 25% per year commencing on the first anniversary of the grant date. RSU awards for employees granted during 2024 and 2025 generally vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date then 6.25% per quarter thereafter. Vested RSU awards for employees are settled in shares of common stock. RSU awards upon initial service as a director vest in 12 equal quarterly installments. For initial service grants, vested RSUs are settled in common stock upon the earlier of the director no longer serving on the Board or the date the RSU has fully vested. Annual RSU awards to directors generally fully vest on the one-year anniversary of the grant date. Upon vesting, granted RSUs entitle the grantee to receive one share of common stock of the Company at no additional cost. Holders of unvested RSUs do not have voting or dividend rights.
At December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company had 6,496,068 and 11,241,546 shares of common stock underlying stock options outstanding under the 2014 Plan, respectively. No additional grants under the 2014 Plan are permitted.
Beginning on January 1, 2022, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2021 Plan shall increase annually by an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 18,900,000 shares of common stock, (ii) five percent (5%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, or (iii) a number of shares of common stock determined by the administrator no later than the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year. On January 1, 2024 and 2025, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2021 Plan increased by 8,950,544 and 10,059,059 shares of common stock, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, and 2024, the 2021 Plan permitted the Company to grant up to 37,575,657 and 28,196,225 shares of common stock, respectively, to its employees, directors, and consultants, as designated by the Board. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company had 18,618,626 and 17,174,592 shares of common stock underlying options awards and RSU awards outstanding under the 2021 Plan, respectively.
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
| 2025 | | 2024 | |||
Option awards granted under 2021 Plan | — | 6,324,127 | ||||
RSU awards granted under 2021 Plan | 10,151,545 | 6,792,700 | ||||
Restricted Stock Grants to Dahae Executives
On October 21, 2024, the Company issued 298,508 shares of restricted stock grants to Dahae executives pursuant to the provisions of Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This issuance was not under any existing plan. The restricted stock grants vest over a four-year period, subject to forfeiture upon the applicable stockholder ceasing to provide services to Dahae or upon Dahae’s default on the financing instruments entered into between the Company and Dahae on October 21, 2024. No additional shares of restricted stock are authorized for issuance to Dahae executives.
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
| 2025 | | 2024 | |||
Restricted stock grants to Dahae Executives | — | 298,508 | ||||
Compensation Expense for Stock-Based Compensation
The fair value of stock options and RSUs issued to employees and directors is recognized as compensation expense over the vesting period of the award. The fair value of the restricted stock grants issued to Dahae executives is recognized straight-line over the vesting period of the grant. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.
For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company recognized compensation costs totaling:
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
2025 | | 2024 | ||||
Stock-based compensation costs related to RSUs | $ | 6,344 | $ | 5,662 | ||
Stock-based compensation costs related to stock options |
| 2,319 |
| 6,138 | ||
Stock-based compensation costs related to the ESPP | 327 | 172 | ||||
Total equity-based compensation costs | $ | 8,990 | $ | 11,972 | ||
The unrecognized future compensation costs as of December 30, 2025 and 2024 were $22,214 and $20,549, respectively. The Company expects to recognize the future compensation cost over a weighted average period of 2.8 years, amortized over a straight-line basis.
The Company records compensation across Operating Expenses within the following financial statement lines:
For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||
2025 |
| 2024 | ||||
Direct costs | $ | — | $ | 1,131 | ||
Research and development | 3,553 | 4,463 | ||||
Selling, general and administrative | 5,437 | 6,378 | ||||
Total equity-based compensation cost | $ | 8,990 | $ | 11,972 | ||
The fair value of restricted stock grants to Dahae executives is recognized over the vesting period. The Company recognized $91 and $22 within Share of net loss (income) of equity method investee in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Stock Options
For purposes of determining the compensation cost, the fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option valuation model that uses the weighted-average assumptions noted in the following table. Expected volatilities are based on historical volatility of comparable companies. The Company uses historical data to estimate option exercise and employee termination within the valuation model. The risk-free rate for periods within the expected life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant.
During the year ended December 31, 2025, no stock options were granted. The fair value of each stock option grant during the year ended December 31, 2024 was estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions used:
2024 |
| |||
Approximate risk‑free rate | 4.23 | % | ||
Volatility | 48.1 | % | ||
Average expected life (in years) | 6 | |||
Dividend yield | 0 | % | ||
Weighted‑average grant date fair value | $ | 0.82 | ||
Estimated fair value of total stock options granted | $ | 5,175 | ||
A summary of stock option activity under the 2014 Plan and 2021 Plan for the year ended December 31, 2025 is presented below.
Weighted-average | |||||||||
Remaining | |||||||||
Number of | Weighted-average | Contractual Term | Aggregate | ||||||
Stock Options | | Stock Options | | Exercise Price | | (in years) | Intrinsic Value | ||
Outstanding as of January 1, 2025 | 20,605,693 | $ | 2.45 | 6.68 | 12,008 | ||||
Granted | — | $ | — | ||||||
Exercised | (3,339,162) | $ | 1.57 | ||||||
Forfeited | (2,549,167) | $ | 2.58 | ||||||
Expired | (2,397,290) | $ | 4.97 | ||||||
Outstanding as of December 31, 2025 | 12,320,074 | $ | 2.13 | 5.59 | 29,496 | ||||
Exercisable as of December 31, 2024 | 12,275,078 | $ | 2.48 | 5.27 | 9,427 | ||||
Exercisable as of December 31, 2025 | 9,769,633 | $ | 2.19 | 4.94 | 23,427 | ||||
Restricted Stock Units
The following table summarizes unvested RSUs as of December 31, 2025 and the changes for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Number of | | Weighted-average | |||
RSUs | Grant Date Fair Value | ||||
Balance at December 31, 2024 | 8,200,553 | 3.10 | |||
Granted | 10,151,545 | 1.75 | |||
Vested or Exercised | (3,008,674) | 2.02 | |||
Forfeited | (2,015,234) | 2.08 | |||
Balance at December 31, 2025 | 13,328,190 | 1.78 | |||
Restricted Stock Grants to Dahae Executives
The following table summarizes activities of unvested restricted stock grants to Dahae executives and the changes for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Number of | | Weighted-average | ||
Restricted Stock Grants | Grant Date Fair Value | |||
Balance at December 31, 2024 | 238,806 | 1.23 | ||
Granted | — | |||
Vested | (110,671) | 1.23 | ||
Forfeited | — | |||
Balance at December 31, 2025 | 128,135 | 1.23 |
ESPP
The Solid Power, Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) originated with 3,778,000 shares of common stock available for issuance. Beginning on January 1, 2022, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the ESPP shall increase annually by an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 3,778,000 shares of common stock (ii) one percent (1%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year or (iii) a number of shares of common stock determined by the administrator no later than the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year. On January 1, 2022, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the ESPP increased by 1,685,579 shares of common stock. There were no increases to the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the ESPP on January 1, 2024 or 2025. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, 4,430,644 and 4,788,691 shares remained available for issuance, respectively.
The ESPP is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code. Substantially all employees are eligible to participate and, through payroll deductions, can purchase shares on dates determined by the administrator. However, with respect to the Section 423 Component (as defined in the ESPP), an employee may not be granted rights to purchase stock under the ESPP if the employee, immediately after the grant, would own (directly or through attribution) stock possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of the Company’s common stock. The purchase price per share sold pursuant to the ESPP will be the lower of (i) 85% of the fair market value of common stock on the enrollment or (ii) 85% of the fair market value on the exercise date. Each offering period will span up to six months. Purchases may be up to 15% of qualified compensation, with an annual limit of $25 and a limit of 5,000 shares per employee per offering period.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 25, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 28, 2025 | |
About Stock Compensation Disclosures
Stock-based compensation disclosures detail the equity awards granted to employees and executives — including stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and performance shares — along with the valuation methods and assumptions used to expense them. This section reveals the true cost of talent retention and the alignment between management incentives and shareholder interests.
Key signals: total unrecognized compensation expense and its expected recognition period signal future earnings headwinds from already-granted awards. For stock options, examine Black-Scholes assumptions — expected volatility, risk-free rate, and expected term — as understating any of these reduces reported compensation expense. Compare stock compensation expense as a percentage of revenue against peers to assess dilution cost. Watch vesting schedules for acceleration clauses tied to change-of-control events. Performance-based awards with undemanding targets may indicate weak governance. Add back stock compensation to operating cash flow to calculate a more conservative free cash flow figure.