Solid-state batteries are still a long way off in the eyes of the world's battery king

When solid-state batteries became the perfect embodiment of power batteries, the buzz about them has never stopped, and what we often hear is the good news of major progress or important breakthroughs.

However, the news revealed by Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, at the 2023 annual report performance meeting was like a bucket of cold water poured on people's heads. He said that solid-state batteries, as the next breakthrough in the field of electric vehicles, still have a long way to go before becoming a commodity.

Zeng Yuqun gave the following reason: From a technical perspective, solid-state batteries still face many basic scientific problems such as solid-state ion diffusion. Currently, there are three routes for solid-state batteries: oxide route, sulfide route and polymer route. Everyone is studying them, but mass production of solid-state batteries is very difficult, especially in terms of metal negative electrodes.

Zeng Yuqun's words are obviously very different from the good news often released by some scientific research institutions and enterprises.

Previously, various good news about solid-state batteries would fly out from time to time. For example, both at home and abroad, more than one research institute has claimed that it has made major breakthroughs in solid-state battery technology, as if solid-state batteries are just around the corner. At the beginning of last year, it was reported that the BMW Group plans to expand its joint development agreement with solid-state battery manufacturer Solid Power so that it can build a solid-state battery prototype assembly line near Munich, Germany. At the same time, BMW also plans to launch a prototype car equipped with solid-state batteries by 2025. Last June, David Moss, senior vice president of research and development in Europe at Nissan, said that Nissan has successfully developed a fully solid-state battery, with the goal of starting trial production in 2025 and producing a new electric car powered by solid-state batteries in 2028. Samsung SDI announced in early March this year that it aims to mass-produce fully solid-state batteries in 2027 to meet the needs of the electric vehicle era.

Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Tsinghua University, is a continuous advocate of solid-state batteries in the research community. He has always been very optimistic that solid-state batteries are on the eve of commercialization. On January 21-22 this year, during the founding conference of the "China All-Solid-State Battery Industry-University-Research Collaborative Innovation Platform" and the China All-Solid-State Battery Innovation and Development Summit Forum, Ouyang Minggao once again stated that all-solid-state batteries are recognized as one of the preferred options for the next generation of batteries. There is a great possibility of a breakthrough in the industrialization of all-solid-state batteries around 2030. The Chinese battery industry needs to sound the alarm and be wary of the existing power battery advantages being overturned by all-solid-state batteries.

As an expert in energy conservation and new energy vehicle power systems, although Ouyang Minggao did not speak absolutely, his optimism and tense warnings show how much he hopes that all parties in society can continue to increase their investment in the field of solid-state batteries and bet on the breakthrough of solid-state batteries. However, Ouyang Minggao overlooked a very important point, which is the specific feasibility of solid-state batteries and how great the possibility of breakthroughs is.

Zeng Yuqun happened to answer this question at the 2023 annual report performance meeting. He not only exposed the lies of some car companies to attract the public's attention, but also answered the difficulty of manufacturing solid-state batteries. In particular, solid-state batteries still face many basic scientific problems such as solid-state ion diffusion, which is not an ordinary problem. As an expert, Ouyang Minggao should know the principles, so why should entrepreneurs point out this problem? In fact, the most valuable reference is to seek truth from facts. According to Zeng Yuqun, it is still difficult to say whether solid-state batteries are on the eve of commercialization.

CATL is not only a Chinese power battery giant, but also the king of power batteries in the world. For many years, its power battery production and sales have been ranked first in the world, and it is far ahead. It has a pivotal position in the global power battery industry, and has increased its investment in solid-state batteries for research. Its head, Zeng Yuqun, is naturally a veritable battery king, and it is impossible for him not to understand the research status of solid-state batteries. Therefore, the solid-state battery in Zeng Yuqun's eyes is most likely the truth about the current development of solid-state batteries.