Chinese battery players are joining forces, including leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), to accelerate the development of all-solid-state batteries, and targeting small-scale installations by 2027 and mass production by 2030, said industry insiders. Almost all leading industry players in the field of all-solid-state batteries – including battery manufacturers, automakers and scholars – participated in the second China All-Solid-State Battery Innovation and Development Summit Forum recently. Ouyang Minggao, Academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said the country’s current route for all-solid-state batteries is to develop sulfide-based batteries, which, paired with high-nickel ternary positive and silicon-carbon negative materials, could reach 400 watt-hours per kilogram in energy density and life cycles of over 1,000.
“These advances are expected to facilitate the country’s small-batch installation of all-solid-state batteries by 2027, with large-scale mass production projected by 2030,” said Ouyang, who is also Professor at Tsinghua University. He added that in addition to building common supply chains for industry-wide base materials, it is essential to integrate large language models (LLMs) and AI. His team has already collaborated with more than 30 related companies to conduct the development and optimization of large-scale models in the vertical field of all-solid-state batteries. By leveraging AI large models for solid-state batteries, the system is now able to provide a variety of experts and intelligent design tools, which will enable matching of material systems, design parameters, smart optimization and process recommendations. “The research and development of batteries can be greatly improved and the development costs can be reduced by 70% to 80%,” he added.
All-solid-state batteries offer higher theoretical energy density and safety at lower costs than lithium-ion batteries that currently dominate the electric vehicle sector. Many countries consider them a potentially game-changing technology. Sun Huajun, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BYD Lithium Battery Co, the battery firm for China’s largest EV maker BYD, said at the conference that the company plans to include sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries in its mainstream EV models by 2030. This timeline places BYD in direct competition with global auto makers investing heavily in such batteries, such as Japan’s Toyota. Wang Deping, Chief Scientist of FAW Group, one of China’s largest state-owned automakers, said that the company aims to achieve small-scale application of solid-state batteries by 2027. Miao Wei, former Minister of Industry and Information Technology, said at the conference that material costs for a typical solid-state battery exceed CNY2 per watt-hour, compared to CNY0.5 per watt-hour for liquid lithium-ion batteries, so for the foreseeable future, liquid and solid-state batteries are likely to coexist in the market, the China Daily reports.
