Solid-state batteries are promising but mass production will take time

  Main content:

1. Solid-state battery is favored by investment institutions
2. Listed companies speed up their layout
3. Solid-state battery technology is yet to develop

Several days ago, Ganfeng Lithium Industry stated that the company’s first-generation solid-state battery had a measured battery life of more than 400 kilometers on the Dongfeng E70, which once again aroused the market’s attention to solid-state batteries. Since the beginning of this year, in the face of broad development prospects, PE/VC has invested intensively in the solid-state battery track, and listed companies in all aspects of the industrial chain such as lithium mines, power batteries, and car companies have accelerated the layout of solid-state batteries. However, experts say that solid-state battery technology still needs to mature, and it will take time to achieve mass production.

Solid-state battery is favored by investment institutions

Since June, 3 solid-state battery companies have received PE/VC investment in just half a month. On June 6, Tailan New Energy, a new force in the solid-state battery industry, announced the completion of the A++ round of financing of several hundred million yuan. It is reported that Tailan New Energy’s lithium battery technology research and development team has made major breakthroughs in the development and introduction process of oxide solid electrolyte material systems, and has solved many difficult and critical points in the development and production process of similar products on the market, making semi-solid lithium-ion batteries Large-scale, low-cost mass production can be quickly achieved. On June 8, Huineng Technology received tens of millions of dollars in investment from Guoxin Science and Technology Innovation. Proton Technology was established in 2006 and officially turned to the R&D and manufacturing of solid-state power batteries in 2016. It has now formed a complete set of solutions for next-generation battery applications in electric vehicles, consumer markets, and industrial fields. Xindu is a company that independently develops and manufactures. On June 11, solid-state battery maker Ion Storage Systems (“ISS”) raised $30 million in Series A funding. ISS produces high-energy-density solid-state lithium metal batteries. The funding will be used to build a 10MWh/year battery production line for next-generation solid-state batteries. It will also accelerate project development between ISS and multiple customers and partners in the consumer electronics, automotive and stationary storage markets. PE/VC has invested heavily in solid-state batteries, reflecting the broad development prospects of solid-state batteries. “Solid-state batteries are the most promising next-generation power battery technology with the advantages of high specific energy, high safety, and easy recycling, which can effectively solve the problems that traditional lithium batteries cannot take into account in terms of safety and energy density.” Experts previously said. Industry insiders believe that solid-state batteries may become the next super track for power batteries. According to a report released by IDTechEx, the market size of solid-state batteries is expected to exceed US$6 billion by 2030. According to estimates by SNE Research, China’s solid-state battery market space is expected to reach 3 billion yuan in 2025 and 20 billion yuan in 2030.

Listed companies speed up their layout

While start-ups are accelerating their development through financing, listed companies have already made arrangements. On January 22 this year, the Dongfeng E70 demonstration operation vehicle equipped with Ganfeng solid-state batteries was launched in Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province. The first batch of 50 solid-state battery demonstration operation vehicles were officially launched on the market. Ganfeng Lithium Industry took the lead in realizing the industrialization of solid-state lithium batteries. In addition, Ganfeng Lithium recently stated that the company’s first-generation solid-state battery production line with a planned production capacity of 2GWH will be put into operation in the second half of this year. Tianqi Lithium announced on May 20 that the company signed a “cooperation agreement” with Beijing Weilan to set up a joint venture, which is a Chinese enterprise engaged in the research and development of solid-state batteries. The announcement shows that the two parties hope to combine their respective advantages to accelerate the further commercialization of semi-solid batteries and solid-state batteries, and actively promote the innovation of the lithium battery material industry. In terms of the power battery leader, experts said recently that the semi-solid battery with a single energy density of 360Wh/kg it developed will be installed this year; the chairman of Zhongxinhang said on June 14 that the company has been doing research and development of solid-state batteries. First is lean liquefaction, then semi-solid, and finally solid. Lean liquefaction can reach 400Wh/kg, semi-solid can reach 450Wh/kg, and quasi-solid can reach 500Wh/kg. Car companies have also further accelerated their deployment in the field of solid-state batteries. In April this year, Nissan said it planned to build an all-solid-state battery test production line at its Yokohama plant in fiscal 2024 and bring solid-state batteries to the market in 2028. In addition, NIO, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Honda, Ford, GM and other car companies have all laid out in the field of solid-state batteries, aiming to accelerate their commercialization.

Solid-state battery technology is yet to develop

Although solid-state batteries have great prospects for development and are sought after in the market, solid-state battery technology still needs to develop, and it will take time to achieve mass production.”Currently, solid-state batteries are still in the incubation stage from laboratory to industrialization, or from pilot test to industrialization, and it is still very early to mass production.” Experts said. According to experts, “solid-state batteries will be put into large-scale commercial applications between 2025 and 2030. In fact, China’s market now has them, but they are only used in small electronic products such as drones and flexible electronics. It will take 5-10 years to really use it in vehicle power batteries.” CICC stated that solid-state batteries can realize the application of lithium metal anodes, and solve technical problems such as low conductivity, high interface impedance and poor cycle performance. However, it will still take a long time for high-consistency products to be mass-produced and adapted to the needs of vehicles. Before 2030, solid-state batteries may only be used in a small number of high-end electric vehicles, and it is difficult to have a major impact on the existing liquid lithium battery industry. Cinda Futures said that the current solid-state battery has high interface resistance and poor stability in air. As far as the current technology is concerned, the ionic conductivity per unit area is low, resulting in an unsatisfactory power density at room temperature; at the same time, the physical contact between the electrode and the electrolyte during the cycle becomes poor, and the electrode expansion problem during the charge-discharge cycle is faced. Technical barriers require significant capital investment.