In recent years, the electric vehicle market has become increasingly competitive, and breakthroughs in solid-state battery technology seem to have injected new vitality into this competition. When they hear data such as "10 minutes of charging, 1200km range", people can't help but be full of expectations for solid-state batteries. If solid-state batteries are installed in a large area, the current electric vehicles will be eliminated, and the end of gasoline vehicles will come? This is a topic that has been discussed by a lot of people lately.
Solid-state batteries became the focus of collective attention overnight.
GAC Group claims to have made a breakthrough in solid-state battery technology and plans to complete development in 2026. Not to be outdone, BMW continues to apply for patents for various solid-state batteries, preparing to apply them to the next generation of electric vehicles. Volkswagen has invested heavily in battery R&D teams to seize the lead in the field of solid-state batteries. Even Japanese automakers, which have always had a conservative attitude towards electric vehicles, are secretly making efforts in the field of solid-state batteries. Nissan has started building a solid-state battery production line and plans to trial production next year; Toyota also has the world's largest number of solid-state battery patents, and is expected to bring the finished product to the market as early as 2027.
Advantages and disadvantages of liquid batteries and solid-state batteries.
So don't really look at what they usually say, but focus on what they do. At present, the vast majority of new energy vehicles on the market use liquid batteries, whether it is a blade battery, a Kirin battery, or a magazine battery, although it looks like a square solid block. But their essence is actually liquid electrolyte lithium-ion batteries, which are mainly composed of positive and negative electrode separators and liquid electrolytes, of which electrolytes and separators account for nearly 40% of the volume and 25% of the mass of the battery. When charging, lithium ions are transferred from the positive electrode through the separator to the negative electrode through the electrolyte as a medium, and the discharge is the opposite, and the working principle of solid-state batteries is similar, that is, the electrolyte is replaced with a solid electrolyte, usually sulfide, oxide or polymer, and the separator is also removed, so that the battery can be made lighter and thinner. At the same time, because the solid-state electrolyte has a large electrochemical window, high thermal stability, and can be compatible with higher voltage cathode and anode materials, the energy density of the battery is also higher.
Liquid lithium-ion batteries have developed greatly in the past ten years, the energy density has increased from the previous 180 watt-hours per kilogram, to now some can be close to 300 watt-hours per kilogram, which is basically the ceiling, and the energy density of solid-state batteries can easily dry to more than 400 watt-hours per kilogram, on the other hand, liquid lithium-ion batteries charge and discharge more times, and there may be separation of essence inside, which can be understood as negative electrodes, and there are growing branches, which affect the performance of the battery. It can also puncture the separator in the middle, causing a short circuit inside the battery, which can cause a fire or even an explosion.
But solid-state batteries basically do not have this hidden danger. As a result, it is lighter and thinner, has a higher energy density, and is also safer. It seems to be the answer for electric vehicles in the future. In other words, whoever can load the solid-state battery in the car first may reduce the dimensionality and hit other friends, which is why everyone is desperately rolling now.
However, the difficulty of solid-state batteries is not generally high, and many manufacturers have said that mass production of solid-state batteries has been said early, but in the end, there is no follow-up.
Here are three examples:
1. Toyota is one of them, they have been researching solid-state batteries since 2006, and by 2017, they said that their solid-state batteries could enter the market in three years, but in 2019, Toyota C changed its words and said that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be the first to launch a prototype with a solid-state battery mass production version, at least until 2025. As a result, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed for a year, and Toyota's car was also postponed for a year. As for the mass production in 2025, the plan has now been revamped again, no earlier than 2027, perhaps in order to stabilize everyone, Toyota also deliberately emphasized that they have set out to solve a lot of problems, and when the production car equipped with a solid-state battery can run 1200km in 10 minutes.
2. Another car company is Fisker, a new force in American car manufacturing, in 2018, they said that they have overcome the problem of solid-state batteries, and can charge for one minute, have a range of 800km, and can be mass-produced in two years. Everyone waited for many years and didn't wait for its solid-state battery to land, but later their boss said that this question was too difficult to do, so they decided not to play.
3. There are also battery companies invested by Volkswagen, at this stage, solid-state batteries are only in PPT and laboratories, and when the energy production is still a question mark, so that now Volkswagen is looking for people to cooperate everywhere, just so as not to be thrown away by friends.
According to the prediction of insiders, solid-state batteries will have to practice for at least a few more years before they appear, and it will be difficult for us to use solid-state batteries in the short term.
Because it still has a lot of problems to solve, here are a few difficulties:
1. The electrode and electrolyte are in contact with the solid, and it is difficult to fully combine. Therefore, the interface impedance is larger, which will affect the power of the battery, and their contact area is small, which may destroy the interface stability during charging and discharging, thereby affecting the performance and life of the battery.
2. The mobility of lithium ions in the solid electrolyte is relatively low, resulting in a worse conductivity than the liquid electrolyte, which limits the fast charging ability of the battery to a certain extent. This is also a problem that many companies are actively solving. In the words of an executive of an auto company, the difficulty of developing solid-state batteries is comparable to climbing Mount Everest.
3. A very important point is that the cost cannot be reduced. At present, no matter what kind of solid-state electrolyte is used, a lot of rare metal materials are used, and the price will not be low, coupled with the manufacturing process is more complex, and the requirements for production conditions are relatively high, so the solid-state battery at this stage is very expensive.
According to the data of a power battery association, the cost of solid-state batteries is almost 2.4 yuan per watt-hour, as a comparison, the ternary lithium battery and lithium iron phosphate battery commonly used in new energy vehicles are about 0.5 yuan per watt-hour and 0.4 yuan per watt-hour respectively, which is equivalent to a gap of 5~6 times. According to the configuration of most mainstream electric vehicles in the current market, if you configure an 80 kWh solid-state battery, you have to spend more than 190,000 yuan first, pay attention to the fact that this is only the cost, according to the battery accounts for 40% of the cost of the whole vehicle, then the cost price of the car is almost 480,000 yuan, and the selling price will definitely go to more than 500,000 yuan, which is basically far away from the current mainstream consumer groups.
Solid-state batteries are not so fast to land, some battery factories have retreated to the next best thing to take out semi-solid-state batteries, and some car companies have also used it one after another, such as the blueprint has already loaded the semi-solid-state battery, and the new car will also be equipped with a semi-solid-state battery in the future, which is actually a mixture of solid-liquid electrolyte, and the separator still exists, and the liquid electrolyte only accounts for a small part, which can avoid the problem of low conductivity, and the solid-state electrolyte can increase energy, compared with the liquid lithium-ion battery, the energy density of the semi-solid-state battery is higher, The safety has indeed improved, but of course the cost is high, in the future, their 150 kWh semi-solid battery will be almost 300,000 yuan, but the semi-solid-state battery is more regarded as a transitional product, and the vast majority of battery factories and car companies still focus on the true solid-state battery.
At present, there are several Chinese and Japanese companies that have clearly given the mass production time of solid-state batteries, and whoever can solve some key technical problems first will be able to take the lead in the market. Of course, the most important thing is to bring the price down, a silent war is quietly going on.
Chinese companies are continuing to iterate and upgrade in the field of power batteries, showing strong innovation vitality.
Toyota's solid-state batteries are no easy task to stand out in a highly competitive market. Even if Toyota succeeds in mass production of solid-state batteries, the impact on Chinese companies with a sound industrial chain will be relatively limited.
China has the world's most complete power battery industry chain, which provides a solid foundation for the rapid development of enterprises. Once solid-state battery technology is validated and mass-produced, Chinese companies will quickly follow suit, reduce costs by virtue of industrial chain advantages and economies of scale, and thus occupy an advantageous position in market competition.
In the field of new energy vehicles, the battle between electric energy and hydrogen energy has always attracted much attention. China and the United States are actively promoting the development of electric energy, while Japan is leading the research and application of hydrogen energy. Toyota has long been skeptical of battery electric vehicles, focusing more on the research and development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hybrid vehicles. However, with the rise of solid-state battery technology, Toyota also seems to be gradually turning to the field of electric vehicles.
This shift is undoubtedly a collective victory for China's electric vehicle companies. The strong strength of Chinese enterprises in technological innovation and market expansion has allowed the global automotive market to see the rise of Made in China. With the continuous development of solid-state battery technology, the competitiveness of Chinese enterprises in the field of new energy vehicles will be further enhanced, bringing more high-quality and high-performance electric vehicle products to global consumers.
We firmly believe that solid-state batteries are the trend of the future and have great potential. However, automakers generally recognize that it will take three to five years for solid-state battery technology to mature and be adopted on a large scale. In the current context of the rapid development of the electric vehicle market, it is imperative to find designs that are more suitable for consumers and ensure survival.
The competition between new energy and fuel vehicles is becoming more and more intense, and solid-state lithium electric vehicles have attracted much attention as a key link.
Solid-state batteries are not perfect, and the risk of spontaneous combustion caused by the separator being punctured by lithium dendrites still needs to be vigilant. For this reason, many countries have begun to re-examine the technical roadmap and seek more secure solutions.
At present, semi-liquid and semi-solid-state batteries seem to be a compromise. It can not only improve the cruising range, but also reduce the cost of research and development, which provides a strong support for market acceptance. Prop up. In terms of research on all-solid-state battery materials, countries are also actively exploring. The oxide direction is dominated by the continent, the United States, and Europe, while the sulfide direction is represented by Japan and South Korea.
It remains to be seen who will emerge from this technology race. But regardless of the outcome, the development of new energy technologies will bring cleaner and more efficient ways for people to travel.