What’s new: SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. (600104.SH) (上汽集团) said it plans to start mass producing solid-state batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) by 2026, which could make the Chinese state-owned automaker one of the world’s first to commercialize the potentially groundbreaking technology.
In a three-year plan announced at a company conference Friday, China’s largest automaker by sales said it aims to have established a solid-state battery production line by 2025, begin mass production in 2026 and launch models equipped with the batteries in 2027.
QingTao (KunShan) Energy Development Co. Ltd. will be SAIC’s main partner in developing the solid-state batteries. Last year, the carmaker set up a joint venture with QingTao and in May 2023 invested additional funds in the battery startup.
The background: China’s battery industry, led by its startups, is pursuing solid-state technology, which holds the promise of being able to keep an EV on the road for more than 1,000 miles on a single charge, without the safety issues that can occur with liquid-state batteries. The best current lithium-ion battery can power a vehicle for upwards of 373 miles on a single charge.
SAIC’s batteries could have a density of more than 400 Watt-hours per kilogram, the company said. By comparison, Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology Co. Ltd., a major solid-state battery startup, said the semi-solid state batteries it shipped to Nio Inc. in June have an energy density of 360 Watt-hours per kilogram.
Yet, the current generation of solid and semi-solid state batteries remains a ways off from the 1,000-mile promise, with high costs and a variety of technological barriers limiting investment.
Contact reporter Kelsey Cheng (kelseycheng@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
