- Advanced solid-state batteries could eventually reach price parity with current batteries.
- BYD’s mid and high-end electric vehicles will be the first to use the new battery technology.
- Several other Chinese brands and legacy automakers are also developing the tech.
The road to commercializing solid-state batteries across the automotive industry has taken longer than many expected, but a growing number of carmakers are developing these advanced batteries for their next-generation EVs. They include Chinese leader BYD, which says its solid-state batteries will initially be rolled out in 2027 before mass-scale adoption from 2030.
Over the weekend, the China All-Solid-State Battery Innovation and Development Summit Forum was held and during the event, the CTO of BYD’s Lithium Battery company, Sun Huajun, revealed its solid-state batteries will use sulfide electrolytes. He did not say what kind of energy density BYD is targeting, but last year, the firm did begin pilot production of 20 Ah and 60 Ah solid-state batteries.
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As BYD continues development of its solid-state batteries, it could begin introducing them in 2027 for its mid and high-end electric vehicles. As these advanced new batteries become cheaper to produce, BYD could begin to roll them out to its more affordable EVs between 2030 and 2032, CarNewsChina reports. In the long term, the company expects solid-state batteries to cost about the same as existing battery technologies.
Other Battery Efforts
However, this doesn’t mean the end is near for other batteries. Speaking at the same event, BYD chief scientist and chief automotive engineer, Lian Yubo, said lithium iron phosphate batteries aren’t going anywhere in the next 15 to 20 years, noting that they will remain important for affordable EVs.
Many other Chinese car manufacturers are hard at work on solid-state batteries. In October last year, Chery said it currently has solid-state battery prototypes with an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, and expects to increase this to 500 Wh/kg. It plans to install these new batteries into cars in 2026 before beginning large-scale production the following year. Chery says these batteries could give its EVs up to 932 miles (1,500 km) of range on a single charge.
There’s plenty of interest from legacy brands as well. For example, both Toyota and Nissan have invested heavily in solid-state batteries and plan to roll them out over the coming years.
