Recently, after gold and the inventory market, solid-state batteries have develop into a brand new scorching matter for public dialogue.
In 2025, the solid-state battery discipline witnessed explosive progress. Since September alone, greater than 10 enterprises have successively introduced their newest progress in the solid-state battery discipline. Enterprises comparable to Penghui Energy, CALB, Narada Power, and Sunwoda have successively launched new merchandise or achievements in solid-state batteries.
China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology performed analysis and confirmed that all-solid-state batteries are a disruptive know-how for the longer term. They launched a particular stimulus plan price 6 billion yuan, and six enterprises together with CATL acquired the primary batch of assist. Academician Ouyang Minggao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences led the institution of an industry-university-research platform, and the federal government promoted the event of solid-state batteries by means of coverage paperwork and {industry} requirements, forming an industrial technique that mixes offense and protection.
It must be stated that the creativeness introduced by solid-state batteries is certainly alluring. Slogans like “1500 kilometers of range after a 10-minute charge”, “mass production in 2025”, and “20 years ahead of China” have been round for greater than a decade. However, in actuality, no enterprise has really launched merchandise associated to solid-state battery automobiles.
So, the query arises: Is the solid-state battery an actual scorching pattern or a false demand?
01
Victims of Electric Vehicle Fires Can No Longer Tolerate It
When it involves electrical automobiles, many automakers nonetheless cannot escape the issue of “battery fires”.
In latest years, in numerous situations comparable to throughout or after a collision, or in a stationary state, electrical automobiles from Tesla, NIO, XPeng, Xiaomi, and so on., have caught hearth. Once the door handles cannot be opened, it turns into a nightmare for a lot of electrical automobile homeowners.
After all, security is a significant ache level for conventional lithium batteries. The flammability of liquid electrolytes results in the chance of battery thermal runaway. Statistics present that 31% of electrical automobile hearth accidents are associated to the battery. Solid-state batteries use strong electrolytes as a substitute of liquid electrolytes, basically fixing the flammability drawback.
Not to say, in phrases of vitality density, there may be nonetheless nice room for enchancment in the batteries of present new vitality automobiles.
Public information reveals that the vitality density of present mainstream liquid lithium batteries usually ranges from 180 to 220 Wh/kg, and the higher restrict of auto vary is about 700 kilometers. In distinction, the vitality density of solid-state batteries is predicted to exceed 500 Wh/kg, and the vary may be elevated to over 1500 kilometers. They can also be capable to full a fast cost in about ten minutes.
Therefore, governments world wide have regarded solid-state batteries because the excessive floor of future vitality methods. In early 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance issued the “Accelerated Action Plan for the Industrialization of New Energy Vehicle Solid-State Batteries (2024 – 2026)”, proposing to arrange a nationwide particular fund of 5 billion yuan to assist the analysis and industrialization of core applied sciences comparable to all-solid-state electrolyte supplies.
In February 2025, eight departments together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the “Action Plan for the High – quality Development of the New Energy Storage Manufacturing Industry”, clearly supporting the event of solid-state batteries for vitality storage and proposing to speed up the analysis on lengthy – life and excessive – security solid-state battery applied sciences.
It must be stated that the analysis, improvement, and mass manufacturing of solid-state batteries are pressing.
02
Can Solid-State Batteries Be the Lifesaving Solution?
With the event of know-how, many individuals have positioned their hopes on this new scorching pattern: solid-state batteries.
On the one hand, it instantly addresses the normal ache factors of electrical automobiles.
Solid-state batteries are hailed because the “ultimate technology” for electrical automobiles. In numerous situations, with them, vary anxiousness and security hazards might be fully eradicated.
On the opposite hand, they can be utilized in many events. Specifically, in phrases of utility areas, electrical automobiles will account for 80% of solid-state battery functions (65% for passenger automobiles and 15% for business automobiles), shopper electronics will account for 12%, aerospace will account for five%, and vitality storage will account for 3%. They can be utilized not solely in automobiles but additionally in different fields, which drastically expands the expansion house.
Specifically, in phrases of market scale, it’s estimated that the worldwide solid-state battery shipments will attain 614.1 GWh by 2030, and the proportion of all-solid-state batteries might be near 30%. The international solid-state battery market scale is predicted to succeed in 1.2 trillion yuan.
It is price mentioning that totally different utility situations have considerably totally different necessities for battery efficiency: the automotive {industry} focuses on vitality density and quick – charging capabilities, shopper electronics pursue thinness, and the aerospace discipline emphasizes security and weight – vitality density.
Over the years, automakers world wide have been actively deploying in the solid-state battery discipline, and their approaches are additionally totally different.
Toyota claims that it’ll obtain small – scale mass manufacturing of all – strong – state batteries in 2025, and BMW introduced that it’ll launch a prototype automobile geared up with strong – state batteries in 2026. CATL and BYD additionally demonstrated related analysis outcomes at know-how press conferences. SAIC and Changan introduced their respective mass – manufacturing schedules.
Based on numerous forecasts, the commercialization of strong – state batteries might be promoted in phases. Before 2027, semi – strong – state batteries might be commercially utilized in the excessive – finish electrical automobile discipline, and all – strong – state batteries might be in the stage of technological breakthrough and small – scale on – automobile verification. By 2027, all – strong – state batteries are anticipated to begin being put in in automobiles in batches. Initially, they are going to be largely used in excessive – finish electrical automobiles, aerospace, and different fields with excessive necessities for efficiency and security. As the appliance scale expands and the price decreases, all – strong – state batteries are anticipated to succeed in an industrialization turning level round 2030.
Automakers world wide have totally different instructions for creating strong – state batteries.
For instance, Japan, represented by Toyota, has chosen to give attention to one observe – the sulfide route. It has made large investments over fifteen years, aiming for last success.
South Korea has chosen two routes, oxide and sulfide, and up to now, no extra apparent outcomes have been seen.
China has adopted a path of “parallel promotion of multiple routes and semi – solid – state transition”. This method is extra sensible, utilizing “transition products to open the market and the market to support research and development”. By concurrently selling three technical routes of polymer, oxide, and sulfide, it successfully disperses analysis and improvement dangers.
The semi – strong – state battery product can also be an thought. The so – known as semi – strong – state means not pursuing the final word all – strong – state however retaining a small quantity of liquid or gel and step by step transitioning to the strong – state.
Regardless of the route, it’s sure that strong – state batteries are now not only a know-how however have develop into a contest for nationwide strategic power.
03
Industrialization Will Be a Major Challenge
Although it’s an inevitable pattern, there are nonetheless two main issues to be solved for present strong – state batteries.
The first drawback is the excessive price. The materials price of all – strong – state batteries is 2 yuan per watt – hour, 3 – 5 instances that of conventional lithium batteries. Once automobiles are produced, it’s conceivable that the promoting value might be excessive. The excessive price has develop into the first drawback that troubles the world.
The problem of technological funding can also be not low. The contact between the strong electrolyte and the electrode is a strong – strong contact. The small contact space results in a big interface impedance. During the charging and discharging course of, the electrode will increase and contract, which can trigger the separation of the strong electrode and the electrolyte interface, affecting the battery life.
Equally troublesome is the lithium dendrite drawback. Metal lithium anodes should develop dendrites throughout biking, which can pierce the electrolyte and trigger a brief circuit. Although strong electrolytes can theoretically inhibit dendrite progress, additional enhancements are nonetheless wanted in sensible functions.
The second drawback is industrialization.
The strong – state battery {industry} chain covers upstream supplies, mid – stream manufacturing, and downstream functions, however every hyperlink will not be but mature. In the upstream materials discipline, key uncooked supplies comparable to lithium sulfide haven’t but fashioned a steady provide system. It is conceivable that in the following 5 years, it won’t solely be a important interval for technological breakthroughs in strong – state batteries but additionally a strategic integration interval for the economic chain ecosystem.
Solid electrolyte supplies have develop into the main target of competitors, and it requires the joint efforts of a gaggle of individuals. Now, automakers and battery enterprises are collectively constructing laboratories to advertise the vertical integration of “materials – cells – systems”, offering assist for the localization of core gear comparable to strong electrolyte coaters to cut back manufacturing prices. At the identical time, accelerating the formulation of efficiency, security, and cycle life certification requirements for all – strong – state batteries, and pre – arranging strong – state battery recycling know-how and establishing a closed – loop utilization community for key supplies are additionally crucial steps to speed up the maturity of industrialization.
Some consultants level out that “all – solid – state batteries with an energy density of 400 Wh/kg are expected to be industrialized between 2027 and 2028”.
It must be stated that solely by overcoming the hurdle of industrialization can strong – state batteries have extra potentialities.
In brief, to find out whether or not a scorching pattern is efficient, it must be verified by the market. The problem of all – strong – state batteries signifies that its business mass – manufacturing path will inevitably be lengthy and tortuous.
Only when it’s carried out in consumer expertise can it’s an efficient scorching pattern.
This article is from the WeChat public account “Jin Cuodao Car Review”, writer: Aorui Bai. It is revealed by 36Kr with authorization.