Equipped with the industry's first quasi-900V ultra-fast charging solid-state battery, the battery achieves a CLTC range of more than 1,000 kilometers, and the battery uses a dry integrated high-temperature solid electrolyte to achieve "no heat spread and no fire in the whole package", with a peak charging power of 400kW and a range of 400km in 12 minutes. A few days ago, SAIC Zhiji released its latest model, Zhiji L6, claiming that "ultra-fast charging solid-state batteries are mass-produced for the first time".
Recently, new progress has been made in solid-state battery related technologies. Chongqing Tailan New Energy announced that it has successfully developed the world's first automotive-grade all-solid-state lithium metal battery, with a single capacity of 120Ah and a measured energy density of 720Wh/kg; NIO said that its 150kWh solid-state battery has entered the mass production stage and is scheduled to be put into use in the second quarter; GAC Group followed by the release of an all-solid-state battery with 100% solid-state electrolyte, claiming that the technology has moved from the laboratory to the mass production application stage, and is expected to be installed on the Haobo model in 2026.
Solid-state batteries, which are recognized as "next-generation battery technology" in the industry, have arrived ahead of schedule?
The power battery is the core component of new energy vehicles, and the cost accounts for about 40% of the whole vehicle, which directly affects the endurance and safety of electric vehicles. At present, liquid lithium-ion batteries represented by lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium batteries have developed into mainstream technologies in the industry. However, with the change of battery technology, the energy density of liquid lithium batteries has approached the theoretical "ceiling", and it is difficult to achieve significant improvement without updating materials.
Solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes instead of the electrolyte and separator of traditional lithium batteries, and can be matched with positive and negative electrode materials with higher energy density, which are theoretically safer, have higher energy density, and stronger cycle performance, and will bring disruptive changes once commercialized.
At present, all-solid-state batteries have become the focus of global battery technology competition, and the power battery producing countries represented by Japan and South Korea have increased their injections, in order to occupy the commanding heights in the future energy technology competition. As early as 2020, South Korea's Samsung SDI has announced the development of sulfide all-solid-state batteries with an energy density of 900Wh/L and a cycle life of more than 1,000 times, and LG Energy Solution plans to launch polymer solid-state batteries and sulfide solid-state batteries in 2028 and sulfide solid-state batteries with higher performance in 2030. Toyota, Japan, has applied for the largest number of patents in solid-state battery technology in the world, and has gradually shifted from the initial material exploration to the trial production of battery cells, and announced that it will achieve mass production of solid-state batteries in 2027 or 2028.
The continent has invested in solid-state batteries in terms of capital, talent and paper output, which is already a world leader. In addition to automobile manufacturers, not only CATL, Ganfeng Lithium, Tianci Materials and other leading lithium battery companies continue to increase R&D investment, but also a number of start-ups "specialized" in solid-state batteries such as Chongqing Tailan New Energy, Beijing Weilan New Energy, and Qingtao Energy have emerged.
Although the research and development of solid-state batteries has entered a new round of enthusiasm, the "solid-state batteries" that claim to be mass-produced on the market are not all-solid-state batteries in the real sense, but semi-solid-state batteries.
Take the "solid-state battery" advertised by the Zhiji L6 as an example, which was controversial as soon as it was released. Zhao Changjiang, general manager and chief co-creation officer of DENZA Auto, said in a post on Weibo that "it is just playing word games". Li Zheng, co-founder and general manager of Qingtao Energy, the manufacturer of this battery, said frankly that in order to enhance the lithium-ion conductivity of the solid-state electrolyte, 10% soaking solution was added to the electrolyte. Strictly speaking, the battery is a semi-solid-state battery.
In addition to electrolyte properties, all-solid-state batteries, as a "disruptive" technology, should also be significantly ahead of existing liquid lithium batteries in terms of cell energy density, safety, and charge-discharge performance. At present, the energy density of mainstream liquid ternary lithium batteries can reach 260Wh/kg~280Wh/kg. However, whether it is the "solid-state battery" of the Zhiji L6 or the 150kWh battery of NIO, the energy density of the cells is about 350Wh/kg, which is not significantly superior to the highest level of ternary lithium batteries. In addition, solid-state batteries should adopt a new system of cathode and anode materials, and these "semi-solid-state battery" cathode and anode materials are similar to the cathode and anode materials of liquid lithium batteries, and cannot exert the full performance of solid-state electrolytes.
Compared with the "solid-state battery" of Zhiji L6, the all-solid-state battery released by Chongqing Tailan New Energy Co., Ltd. uses lithium-rich manganese-based materials for the cathode material, lithium metal for the anode material that is different from the existing mainstream graphite and silicon-based materials, the electrolyte is made of oxide solid-state electrolyte, and the packaging is made of aluminum-plastic film soft pack, and the energy density of the battery cell measured in the laboratory is as high as 720Wh/kg, which meets the industry's assumption of solid-state batteries in terms of material system and performance parameters. However, the battery is still in the laboratory sample stage, and there is still a certain distance from industrial mass production.
At present, all-solid-state batteries have great challenges in terms of power performance, cycling, material development, cell manufacturing, and system design. From the perspective of basic research, solid-state batteries have problems such as poor cycle, unsatisfactory rate and low temperature performance; from the perspective of engineering, the industrial chain is still immature, and breakthroughs are needed in material development and production process; from the perspective of mass production promotion, problems such as cost, large-scale mass production equipment, and consistency need to be laid out in advance; from the perspective of vehicle application, fast charging capacity, high and low temperature performance, cycle performance and pulse power all need to be developed in adaptation.
In addition, at the level of energy density, the energy density of the battery will not be substantially improved regardless of the form of the electrolyte based on the existing graphite or silicon anode material system. Therefore, the focus of energy density exploration is the lithium metal anode, and the solid electrolyte is more suitable for combining with lithium metal compared with the liquid electrolyte. However, the lithium metal anode technology is still immature, and further breakthroughs are needed to improve interfacial wettability, increase interfacial stability, and inhibit lithium dendrites.
Battery material innovation is a long-term accumulation and long-term process. At present, there is news about the mass production and application of "solid-state batteries" and "semi-solid-state batteries" in the market, reflecting the continuous transformation and upgrading of power battery technology. It is foreseeable that in the next few years, it will be a critical stage for solid-state batteries, who is the first to solve the problem, let the all-solid-state battery out of the laboratory to achieve real mass production applications, who will have the opportunity to lead the market demand and occupy a greater initiative in the era of electric vehicles.
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