What are the advantages of all-solid-state batteries?
1. Significantly improved energy density:
Solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes, which enable the use of high-voltage positive electrode materials, which greatly improves the energy density of the battery, and can even easily exceed 400Wh/kg, laying a solid foundation for improving battery life.
2. Faster charging speed:
Since solid electrolytes do not react violently with lithium metal negative electrodes, faster charging and discharging can be achieved. Fast charging and discharging within ten minutes is possible, greatly improving the convenience of battery use.
3. Higher safety:
Traditional lithium battery electrolytes are flammable and there is a risk of fire. Solid electrolytes are non-flammable and will not leak or volatilize even if the diaphragm is punctured, which significantly improves the safety of the battery.
4. More stable low-temperature performance:
Under low-temperature conditions, the viscosity of the electrolyte of traditional lithium batteries will increase, resulting in slower ion conduction and reduced battery performance. Solid electrolytes, on the other hand, are not affected by low temperatures and can maintain stable performance at extremely low temperatures of -40°C.
5. Longer cycle life:
Solid electrolytes solve the problem of solid electrolyte interface films formed by liquid electrolytes during the charge and discharge process, thereby reducing the loss of lithium ions and greatly extending the cycle life of the battery. Ideally, the number of cycles of solid-state batteries can reach 45,000 times.
6. Simplified thermal management requirements:
Solid-state batteries do not have a significant increase in side reactions under high-temperature or even 170°C charge and discharge cycle conditions, and can also maintain stable charge and discharge performance under low-temperature conditions of -40°C. This greatly reduces the demand for thermal management of solid-state batteries and simplifies the design of battery systems.
Solid-state battery policy promotion and market forecast
Many governments around the world have introduced relevant policies and plans to clarify the development goals of solid-state batteries. It is expected that by 2030, the market size of solid-state batteries is expected to exceed 200GWh. With the application and promotion of solid-state batteries in aviation, new energy vehicles, consumer electronics and energy storage, its market demand will continue to grow.
Global technology routes and competitive landscape
Global solid-state battery research and development competition is fierce, and companies in various countries adopt different technology routes. Japanese and Korean companies focus on the sulfide system technology route, Europe prefers the polymer system route, and the United States promotes multiple technology routes at the same time. China mainly focuses on the oxide system route, and Chinese battery and battery material companies are accelerating their layout, and semi-solid batteries have been installed on vehicles.
Chinese enterprise layout and progress
On the battery side, companies such as CATL, Ganfeng Lithium, Farasis Energy, and Guoxuan High-tech are actively deploying in the field of solid-state batteries; on the material side, companies such as Sanxiang New Materials, Ruitai New Materials, Xiangfenghua, Shanghai Xiba, Dangsheng Technology, and Rongbai Technology have provided or sold related solid-state battery materials; on the vehicle side, new car manufacturers such as NIO, Dongfeng Lantu, Zhiji Auto, and GAC Aion have begun to introduce semi-solid-state batteries to create differentiation in new energy vehicle products.
Why are all-solid-state batteries not commercially available?
Solid-state batteries are a new type of battery that uses solid electrolytes to replace the electrolyte in traditional lithium-ion batteries. It has higher safety and energy density and is considered to be an ideal choice for electric vehicle batteries, but it still faces some technical obstacles, which has delayed its large-scale promotion:
1. High cost: The manufacturing cost of solid-state batteries is high, mainly because the current production process of solid electrolytes is complicated and some raw materials are expensive. This makes the cost of solid-state batteries much higher than that of traditional liquid lithium batteries, limiting its competitiveness in the market.
2. Low technical maturity: Although solid-state batteries have made some progress in the laboratory, there are still many technical challenges in large-scale production and practical applications. For example, the ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes is low, resulting in slower battery charging and discharging speeds, and the cycle life needs to be improved. In addition, the interface stability of solid-state batteries is also an urgent problem to be solved.
3. Lack of standardization: At present, solid-state battery technology has not yet formed a unified standard and specification, which has brought difficulties to the coordinated development of the industrial chain. Different companies and research institutions are independent in the research and development and production of solid-state batteries, resulting in diversified technical routes and difficulty in achieving scale effects.
4. Imperfect industrial chain: The industrial chain of solid-state batteries is not perfect enough, including raw material supply, production equipment, battery recycling and other links need further development and optimization. This also restricts the large-scale promotion and application of solid-state batteries.
To achieve large-scale promotion of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, it is also necessary to solve problems such as cost, technology maturity, standardization and industrial chain. At present, governments and companies are increasing their investment in the research and development of solid-state battery technology in order to achieve breakthroughs in the next few years.
However, the latest news is that GAC Group plans to be the first to equip Haobo models with all-solid-state batteries in 2026. In addition, CATL mentioned in its recently released investor activity report that they are expected to achieve small-scale mass production of solid-state batteries in 2027. Changan Automobile also stated that its solid-state battery plans to start mass production and application in 2025, and is expected to be fully popularized in 2030. In summary, the popularization schedule of solid-state batteries will start from 2024, gradually expand to more models and application scenarios, and finally be fully popularized in 2030.
