Changan plans for solid state battery mass production in 2027

Chinese automaker Changan Automobile has revealed plans to begin mass production of solid-state batteries by 2027, if vehicle testing succeeds in 2026. At a meeting of investors, Changan said it hopes to debut its Jinzhongzhao all-solid-state batteries in prototype vehicles by the end of this year.

Changan claims its solid state batteries can provide range of over 1,500 km on a full charge, thanks to an increased energy density of up to 400 Wh/kg – although this has not been independently verified.

The company hopes to test its batteries in cars by 2026 with an eye to moving into mass production the following year. It claims that it has been able to improve the safety of solid-state batteries by 70 per cent, with the aim of ‘solving’ the hazards of current lithium batteries with a liquid electrolyte.

They are one of a handful of Chinese companies seeking to manufacture solid state batteries for EVs in 2027. The world’s largest EV battery producer, CATL, revealed a similar schedule for production last year.

A senior CATL scientist, Wu Kai, said in April 2024 that the technology is not yet mature and faces cost challenges for mass production. But he also argued that the technology has huge potential as existing lithium-ion batteries are reaching an upper limit of 350 Wh/kg energy density. “It is difficult to improve them further,” Wu said.

Additionally, the Chinese government founded the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform (CASIP) last year, which includes companies such as CALB, BYD, Nio, EVE Energy, Gotion High-Tech, SVOLT, among others. The Consortium was founded to futureproof China’s existing battery industry against potential solid-state challengers, with the aim of making a breakthrough in the technology by 2030.

cnevpost.com