The reason why you haven’t bought an electric car yet is because of battery life anxiety or battery safety? No matter which one it is, solid-state batteries can solve it well. Therefore, everyone is paying special attention to the solid-state battery that the company has been laying the groundwork for so long. When will it be launched? The latest news from
is here!
A few days ago, Aian announced that it will release its self-developed and self-produced all-solid-state battery in advance to 2026. Coincidentally, CATL has also accelerated its research and development and plans to achieve mass production after 2027. This means that ordinary consumers may be able to buy electric vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries in 2027.
What are the current challenges in mass production of solid-state batteries?
Solid-state batteries are superior to liquid lithium-ion batteries in terms of energy density, safety and service life. Their energy density is above 300Wh/kg, which is almost the ceiling of the energy density of liquid lithium batteries. It can be said that with the use of solid-state batteries, electric vehicles can be as light as fuel vehicles and can also achieve a longer single range. Therefore it is known as the final form of power battery. Many friends who have reservations about current new energy vehicles say that they will only consider choosing new energy vehicles after solid-state batteries are mass-produced and installed in vehicles.
Of course, solid-state batteries also bring many material issues and technical problems. The immaturity of the process, the small barrier of solid electrolytes, etc., all limit the industrialization of solid-state batteries.
The first is the problem of materials, and the biggest challenge is the electrolyte. Since the electrolyte is in a solid form, it limits the movement of charges in the material and reduces the function of the battery. Therefore, it needs to be "driven" by a higher voltage, which also leads to new problems: higher voltages may The solid electrolyte degrades faster, thereby reducing the number of charging cycles. This means that if the current technology uses solid-state batteries, it will either reduce power or shorten its service life.
In addition, all-solid-state batteries can have a smaller size and lighter mass with the same energy. Among them, the external dimensions have a relatively large impact on the internal materials. Taking the most popular ceramic materials as an example, they cannot be made into cylindrical batteries because they cannot be bent (cylindrical batteries have the highest production efficiency), which directly affects the economy of producing solid-state batteries. sex.
Finally, the production process and cost are also a problem. Solid-state batteries basically use new materials, which are relatively expensive. Moreover, according to the current production line process and technology, large-scale processing and production of solid-state batteries poses great challenges, and even Experts say mass production of solid-state batteries is unlikely before 2030.
2026, the first year of mass production of solid-state batteries?
Major car manufacturers’ plans for solid-state batteries are concentrated between 2025 and 2030. It can be seen that the next few years will be a critical period for the development of solid-state batteries. Whoever can take the lead in mass production and commercial use will be able to win solid-state batteries. the right to speak. According to data, car companies such as GAC Aion, Changan Deep Blue, and Zhiji plan to launch semi-solid batteries before 2025 and mass-produce and install them in vehicles. It is expected that the market penetration rate of semi-solid batteries will reach 5% by 2026. Of course, major overseas manufacturers such as Toyota and BMW are plotting new electric models equipped with solid-state batteries.
Both domestic and foreign countries are optimistic about the development of solid-state batteries. However, some experts say that there are still core problems that need to be solved for all-solid-state batteries. As for whether 2026 can become the first year of all-solid-state batteries? Experts have reservations. The industry generally believes that mass production of all-solid-state batteries will be around 2030. GAC Aian was the first to stand up and say: I don’t have to wait too long for my solid-state batteries!
The "petroleum"-like existence of the future
As far as automobile travel is concerned, electric vehicles have become the consensus of the five major markets in the world, including China, Europe, the United States, Japan and South Korea. In the future, batteries will be the mainstream form of energy in the world. From this logic Starting from the beginning, it can also be said that solid-state batteries are a substitute for "petroleum". Whoever has the right to speak in technology will be the leader in travel energy.
Therefore, various countries also have many plans to conquer solid-state batteries, but the paths of "betting" in each country are quite different.There are currently three exploration paths for solid-state batteries: polymers, oxides and sulfides. Among them, European manufacturers such as BMW and Volkswagen have invested in start-up companies focusing on polymer solid electrolytes, while Japanese and Korean manufacturers such as Toyota and LG have chosen the technical route of sulfide solid electrolytes, and our Chinese companies have focused on oxide solid electrolyte technology. route.
At this stage, manufacturers around the world are in the stage of research and development and mid-term testing. Japan has planned the research and development of all-solid-state batteries very early. Currently, their technology is in a leading position in the world, and the number of patents on all-solid-state batteries is also far ahead. , reaching 3043 items. The original plan was to commercialize sulfide solid-state batteries in 2020, but everyone could see the result and let it go.
In terms of research and development, Japanese companies mostly form alliances, that is, car companies and battery manufacturers cooperate. Their research and development directly skipped semi-solid-state batteries, and they mobilized nationwide efforts, including relatively large consortiums, vehicle, material, and battery companies, to participate in the plan in order to achieve success in one step.
As the second echelon, China and the United States have also made many breakthroughs in the research and development of solid-state batteries. The former has 563 related patents, and the latter has 835 patents. As early as 2019, relevant departments released the "New Energy Vehicle Industry Development Plan (2021-2035)", which elevated the research and development of solid-state batteries to the national level and emphasized the importance of commercialization of solid-state batteries. According to the current planning and progress, domestic companies are expected to achieve large-scale mass production around 2025.
Although Chinese companies started late in researching solid-state batteries, they have a positive attitude. The related industrial chain is also relatively complete, the industry scale is large, and the market is relatively large. Strong alliances between domestic manufacturers or full-stack self-research and production can be accelerated. The research and development process of domestic solid-state batteries is speeding up commercialization as soon as possible.
The development of solid-state batteries in South Korea and Germany is relatively slow. In South Korea, leading domestic battery companies have joined hands to form a team to develop solid-state batteries, and they have 100 billion won in support. Germany has government support, with 1 billion euros spent on the development of solid-state batteries.
Electric vehicles are currently on sale. The mainstream power batteries are lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries. However, it is known that these two types of batteries are close to physical limits in terms of energy density and charging speed. Therefore, it has become a consensus to look for higher performance and safer battery forms. And solid-state batteries are the goal.
N Comment: Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "This generation of lithium-ion batteries began to be used around 2000, and it is expected that there will be a comprehensive innovation in 30 years." This change refers to all-solid-state batteries. In fact, both Japanese companies and domestic new energy vehicle companies are now promoting mass production in 2027. GAC Aian dares to be the first in the world and will release its self-developed and self-produced all-solid-state battery in advance to 2026. With the active promotion of car companies, solid-state power batteries are just around the corner!
Of course, all-solid-state batteries have just begun mass production, and the cost is bound to be high. It is not difficult to foresee that NIO’s current semi-solid-state battery pack is equivalent to the price of an ET5. From mass production to promotion, and then to models that are more economical than ordinary people, this process will take at least 5 years. Generally speaking, for urban household users, the median service life of a car is about 5 years. So, do ordinary people really have to wait for solid-state batteries to "get on the car"? I think it’s unnecessary. At present, the cost of liquid lithium-ion batteries (lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries) has dropped relatively low, and the price of new energy vehicles is almost “the same price” as traditional fuel vehicles, so it should be said that You still have to buy one. If you buy one now, drive it first and connect the solid-state battery when you change the car.
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