When will solid-state batteries become popular?

Solid-state batteries are seen as the future technology of the electric vehicle industry, and major companies have announced mass production plans. Among the industry giants, a newly established startup, Tailan New Energy, has stood out with its innovative "membrane-free" solid-state battery technology.

What are Tailan New Energy's technological innovations and market strategies like? Let's take a look at how Tailan challenges the monopoly of traditional power battery companies in terms of technology and cost, and promotes the accelerated commercialization of solid-state batteries.

01

Tailan New Energy was founded in 2018 with the goal of promoting the commercial application of solid-state batteries. The company's founder Gao Xiang is a technical expert in the field of solid-state batteries and has work experience at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Fine Ceramics in Japan, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States.

He has accumulated rich experience in technology and industry chain in battery research and development. This unique background has enabled Tailan New Energy to develop the industry-leading "diaphragm-free" solid-state battery technology within just a few years of its establishment.

In April 2024, Tailan New Energy successfully prepared an all-solid-state lithium metal battery with an energy density of 720Wh/kg, breaking the energy density record of automotive-grade batteries. This breakthrough has attracted widespread attention to Tailan New Energy and demonstrated its technical strength in the field of solid-state batteries.

Solid-state batteries theoretically do not require a diaphragm due to the isolation properties of solid electrolytes. In traditional liquid batteries, the function of the diaphragm is to isolate the positive and negative electrodes and allow lithium ions to pass through, but its material is easily deformed at high temperatures, causing short circuits and thermal runaway. Therefore, solid-state batteries have an inherent advantage in high safety.

However, Tailan New Energy's "membrane-free" solid-state battery technology is not limited to the physical structure optimization of solid-state batteries, but through the innovative "subtractive manufacturing" concept, it reduces the excess materials inside the battery and achieves both high energy density and high safety in a more efficient way.

Through the "4-3-2-1" technical route, Tailan New Energy plans to gradually reduce the components such as diaphragms, electrolytes and even negative electrodes, and finally achieve high energy density of all-solid-state batteries. This route not only improves safety by "no diaphragm", but also reduces material and manufacturing costs, making it more competitive in the market.

The rapid development of Tailan New Energy is inseparable from the support of strategic partners. In 2024, Changan Automobile invested in Tailan New Energy through its Anhe Fund and announced that they would jointly promote the research and development and application of solid-state batteries, providing Tailan New Energy with strong financial and industrial chain resource support, and ensuring that its future battery products can directly enter Changan Automobile's supply chain system.

02

Battery technology has become the core competitiveness of the industry. Many companies, including CATL and Toyota Motor, have announced that they will mass-produce solid-state batteries in the next few years to seize market opportunities.

Solid-state batteries face problems such as high cost and process complexity, which has led to a slow industrialization process. In the current market, the mass production technology of solid-state batteries is still in the exploratory stage, and there is great uncertainty in the actual progress and expectations of various companies.

In this market context, Tailan New Energy has gained a differentiated competitive advantage through technological innovation. In particular, driven by subtractive manufacturing and diaphragm-free technology, Tailan New Energy has been able to effectively reduce costs while ensuring high energy density of batteries, providing strong support for its breakthrough in the solid-state battery market.

Tailan New Energy's "diaphragm-free" solid-state battery technology has many advantages:

● High safety: By removing the diaphragm and introducing a solid electrolyte layer, Tailan New Energy's batteries have higher stability under extreme conditions such as high temperature, overcharging, and extrusion. This solid electrolyte layer is not easy to burn, is resistant to high temperatures, and effectively suppresses the risk of thermal runaway, making it ahead of traditional liquid lithium batteries in terms of safety.

● Improved energy density: By removing inactive materials such as diaphragms and electrolytes, the proportion of active materials per unit volume is increased, thereby achieving high energy density. Its record of 720Wh/kg refreshed the industry's cognition and demonstrated the huge potential of solid-state batteries in terms of driving range.

● Cost control: The diaphragm-free technology reduces the dependence on diaphragm and electrolyte materials. Through the concept of "subtractive manufacturing", Tailan New Energy can reduce the cost of raw materials by more than 10% during the production process. This cost advantage makes its battery products more competitive in the future marketization process.

It will take some time for all-solid-state batteries to be mass-produced. Tailan New Energy has chosen the transitional solution of semi-solid-state batteries in its "4-3-2-1" route. The current membrane-free semi-solid-state battery technology has reached the commercial stage and can use more than 90% of the production equipment of liquid batteries, effectively lowering the threshold for industrialization.

At the same time, the battery's energy density and safety are significantly improved compared to traditional liquid batteries, and can meet the market demand for high-performance batteries.

The diaphragm-free technology has a wide range of applications and is compatible with a variety of positive and negative electrode materials, allowing Tailan New Energy to more flexibly adjust battery solutions when facing different application scenarios (such as long-range electric vehicles, commercial vehicles with high safety battery requirements, etc.).

Tailan New Energy's "membrane-free" solid-state battery technology has demonstrated its huge market potential, especially its innovation in subtractive manufacturing has brought new ideas to the entire solid-state battery industry.

However, its future development still faces challenges.

● First, the industry chain of solid-state batteries is not yet fully mature, and it will take time for materials and production processes to improve;

● Secondly, companies such as CATL and Toyota are also stepping up their R&D efforts, and the pace of innovation of competitors may also accelerate. Tailan New Energy has demonstrated its technology and market potential.

In the future, if its membrane-free solid-state battery technology can be commercially installed in 2026, it will further verify the feasibility of its technical route and pave the way for the popularization of all-solid-state batteries in the future.

Through deep ties with strategic partners such as Changan Automobile, Tailan New Energy is expected to rapidly increase its market share in the next few years and bring new impetus to the industrialization development of solid-state batteries.

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