CATL declared Monday its commitment to research and mass production of innovative solid-state batteries (SSBs) for electric vehicles. According to local media outlet Jiemian, the Chinese electric vehicle giant is now gearing up to start small-scale production of its innovative SSBs by 2027.
Solid-state battery development progress
During the CIBF2024 Advanced Battery Frontier Technology Seminar on Sunday, Chief Scientist Wu Kai shared that CATL’s SSBs development progress has reached 4 on a scale of 1-9 based on tech and manufacturing maturity.
It aims to hit a score of 7 to 8 by 2027, with plans to kick off small-scale production. However, large-scale production remains challenging due to various factors, including costs.
Advantage over liquid lithium batteries
As of today, liquid lithium batteries’ energy density can hit 350 Wh/kg. However, this figure is apparently tough to increase.
Meanwhile, Chief Scientist Wu asserted that SSBs offer remarkable energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg and a high level of safety.
SSBs’ solid electrolytes are non-flammable, making them less prone to fire risks. Their greater electrochemical stability also makes them more reliable than Li-ion batteries.
Targets
CATL aims to claim at least 1% of the solid-state battery market. However, Chief Scientist Wu warned that the company has yet to overcome numerous scientific issues to achieve that target.
Chief Scientist Wu noted that the R&D and mass production of SSBs is very challenging, prompting the company to tap various partners like battery industry chains and universities.
He also disclosed that the Chinese battery giant has already gained over 10 years of R&D in the new battery technology. In fact, it has established an SSB and new system battery R&D team with nearly 1,000 members.
Chinese Academy of Sciences Academician Ouyang Minggao said during a relevant forum on January 22 that the country must explore transitional tech courses like semi-SSBs while monitoring the “disruptive risks” of radical all-SSB tech routes. He also noted that CATL’s 1% target is a crucial market share threshold for auto technology. This rate is apparently already a considerable breakthrough amid the shift from liquid batteries to SSBs, not 50%.
Academician Ouyang also noted that SSBs may take at least 20-30 years to hit a 50% market share as liquid batteries come with at least a 20-year life cycle.
The road to all-solid-state battery dominance may take a long as some industry experts promote semi-SSB as an easier-to-adopt interim step. However, CATL’s imminent small-scale production will surely pave the way for more powerful and safer EVs.
