Gotion begins pilot production of solid-state battery

Chinese battery cell manufacturer Gotion High-Tech has launched a pilot production line with a capacity of 0.2 GWh for its Gemstone solid-state battery. According to Gotion, the batteries have already been integrated into vehicles and tested on public roads.

The Volkswagen partner announced the start of production on the new pilot line at its in-house technology conference over the weekend. Gotion also stated that the key components of the production equipment are locally manufactured. However, no further technical details about the pilot production process itself have been disclosed so far.

Gotion High-Tech first presented its Gemstone solid-state batteries at its 2024 technology conference, marking its entry into the emerging solid-state segment. The commissioning of the pilot line now represents the next key milestone. The manufacturer has not yet revealed when large-scale series production will begin. Back in 2024, the company stated that it planned to start small-scale production in 2027 and aimed to reach mass production ‘expected’ from 2030. CATL and BYD are also targeting initial volumes of solid-state batteries from 2027.

At the initial presentation a year ago, Gotion claimed that the Gemstone cells would offer an energy density of 350 Wh/kg and 800 Wh/l – approximately 40 per cent more than conventional lithium-ion batteries with NMC cell chemistry. In the latest press release, the company now states that, ‘after 365 days of validation’, the Gemstone cells show a 150 per cent increase in capacity. However, it has not disclosed the new specific capacity value, nor clarified what the 150 per cent increase is measured against.

Crucially, the Gemstone battery is a true ‘all-solid-state’ cell, meaning it uses a completely solid electrolyte. Some manufacturers also market ‘semi-solid-state’ cells as solid-state, even though they use a gel-like, semi-liquid electrolyte. While these semi-solid variants do offer certain improvements in energy density and safety over conventional liquid-electrolyte cells, industry experts expect the real technological leap to come with fully solid-state batteries.

Gotion says its Gemstone cells have passed all mandatory safety tests during the development phase – including nail penetration, deliberate overcharging, mechanical crush tests, and thermal stress evaluations such as hot box testing. The Chinese government recently introduced stricter safety standards for EV batteries, set to take effect on 1 July 2026, which aim to further improve cell safety.

Gotion remains one of the largest EV battery producers globally, though it trails behind China’s leading players such as CATL and BYD. According to South Korean market research firm SNE Research, Gotion held a global EV battery market share of 3.5 per cent in Q1 2025, ranking sixth among all manufacturers.

cnevpost.com