2025-05-16
I learned that domestic new energy cars will substitute "solid-state batteries" the other day? Solid-state batteries, this is not dark food of a certain kind, but a "black technology" which can make an electric car be charged for 5 minutes and drive 1,000 kilometers at full speed! This technology is viewed as the game-changer to break energy density constraints, safety and charging efficiency of traditional liquid lithium batteries. Today, let's check how "hardcore" these solid-state batteries are, dear audience.
Contemporary lithium batteries are rather like a bowl of porridge - the liquid electrolyte is always stirred, prone to spillage (spontaneous combustion), and can't hold much room (low energy density). Solid-state batteries immobilize porridge instantly into tight biscuits, with solid electrolytes rather than liquids. Not only do they pack more densely (doubling energy density), but they also have a "fireproof suit" (high temperature resistance and not combusting). It is reported that Zhongke Deep Blue's solid-state battery can reach an energy density of up to 700Wh/kg, which is twice the amount of power current batteries deliver! If it were fitted on a car, wouldn't it be able to travel from Beijing to Guangzhou without recharging?
In the future, refueling a car could be quicker than cooking instant noodles! With 5C high-rate discharge, it can go 400 kilometers after only 10 minutes of fueling. Even gas station staff will be out of work. Even more impressive is that this battery has good performance at -60℃ in the Arctic and 90℃ in the Sahara, and hence is the "Bear Grye" of the battery world - with extremely powerful adaptability!
Zhongke Deep Blue has already announced that it will set up the world's first solid-state battery "hot pot restaurant" (GW-level production line) in Changzhou in 2025, poised to turn the "concept dishes" in the lab into "fast food" on the production line. Get wallets at the ready, everyone! Electric vehicles in the future might be going into "cheat mode"!
Catl: Walking on the sulfide road, preparing for a great leap in 2027, and using the "two boats in one" strategy (tackling the polymer path as well) by default.
Byd: Shouting the "high-nickel ternary + sulfide" double punch, it wants to transform batteries into "marathon runners" (doubling the mileage) by 2030.
Starsource Material: Covertly collaborating with scientists, it has already mass-produced oxide electrolytes, and now sulfides are even being "tasted" in minute quantities.
Gac: It will fit its luxury car, Hao Bo, with a 400Wh/kg "energy block" by 2026 and boast that it will surpass others.
Saic: With guidance, Qingtao Energy will produce semi-solid batteries, and by 2025, we will have mass production of cars with a range of 1,000 kilometers. I have even thought of the slogan for the commercial - "Charge for two hours and drive around Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai."
Chang 'an: Even crueller! They outright stated they would create the "Changan Golden Bell" battery in 2026 with a mileage of 1,500 kilometers. Are they going to drive from Shanghai to Chongqing in one trip just to enjoy hot pot?
Don't be tricked by the fact that all-solid-state batteries are still making empty promises; semi-solid-state batteries are already on the table! NIO's 150-kilowatt-hour battery pack, for instance, uses the "nine parts dry and one part wet" battery (10% electrolyte content) of Weilan New Energy with energy density of 360Wh/kg. Even if you travel to Northeast China during winter to enjoy the snow, you needn't fear freezing into an "electric dad."
Industry and Information Technology Ministry has thrown straight into garbage a trump card: The new 2025 rules have approved solid-state batteries and also introduced the "toughest ever" safety standards - which read: "Either become high-tech or get out of the race!"
More surprising still is the startling move in the industrial chain: 80% of the factories in traditional lithium battery factories can be "recycled" directly and repurposed as solid-state battery production lines. Even Starlight Materials, which started out in separators, has entered the solid-state electrolyte membrane business. The move is akin to the pancake stall downstairs from your house suddenly opening up for selling French crepes!
Solid electrolytes and electrodes are similar to a straight steel man trying to reach a cold and remote goddess - solid-solid contact is prone to "quarrels" (large interface impedance), leading to a "reduction" of battery capacity. Scientists are developing a rigid and flexible composite electrolyte to bring this couple together by playing the matchmaker role.
Nowadays, the cost of all-solid-state batteries is 3 to 5 times more expensive compared to normal batteries, much like Hermes in electric vehicles. But experts tell us that the more massive the scale of mass production, the cost can "plunge" - the word used to define the way LCD TVS transformed from being expensive to as affordable as cabbages before.
Japanese rivals (Toyota and Nissan) will have a gigantic leap in 2027, yet China, relying on policy, industrial chains, and domestic competition among firms in three directions, is most likely to cross the finishing line first! And why not? On mass production speed, we possess the "Double 11 Express delivery" gene!
Summary: Are the "greenhorns" waiting for solid-state batteries?
Buying an electric vehicle today is as good as buying a cellular phone - the "wait and see" group will never fail! Nevertheless, I want to advise all of you:
If you have to buy a car urgently, in 2025, semi-solid batteries will enable you to have the thrill of "charging for 5 minutes and calling for 2 hours".
And if you want to be a trendsetter, you may wait for the limited use of all-solid-state batteries in 2027.
And if you are not so tense a player, just wait for the bottom price of solid-state batteries in 2030. Maybe then electric cars will at last elevate cars to the status of "land aircraft"!
Finally, a courteous reminder: Whenever you see manufacturers boasting of "all-solid-state", don't be the first to climb the mountain. Ask first in plain language if it is "nine-tenfold solid-state" or "pure solid-state" - after all, these days even the "half-sugar" at a milk tea stall can be so sweet that it can be almost overpowering!
This piece is strictly for popular science and entertainment purposes. If there are any similarities, it means that solid-state batteries have finally come!
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