Keyword for the 2025 Automotive Market: Solid-State Battery

In 2025, within the new energy vehicle sector, solid-state batteries have undoubtedly become the most dazzling “star.”

For years, solid-state batteries largely remained in the realm of conceptual hype, confined to laboratory research or serving as flashy PowerPoint highlights at automakers’ launch events to attract attention. However, in 2025, this technology broke through its constraints and truly took a critical step from prototypes to products, and from demonstration to mass production.

In October 2025, CCTV News reported that Chinese scientists made a major breakthrough in solid-state lithium-metal battery technology, successfully addressing key challenges in enhancing battery performance. This means that the range of solid-state batteries is expected to leap from the previous benchmark of 500 km per 100 kg of battery to surpassing the 1,000-km ceiling.

A research team led by Huang Xuejie from the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with teams from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, developed an iodine-ion-based “self-repairing” technology. During battery operation, iodine ions form an iodine-rich interface under an electric field, automatically filling gaps and pores between the electrode and electrolyte like “shifting sand.” This innovation completely eliminates reliance on external high-pressure equipment, overcoming the biggest bottleneck hindering the practical application of all-solid-state batteries. Meanwhile, other research teams have continued to advance innovations in flexibility and safety.

Moving beyond upstream materials, midstream battery manufacturers and major new energy vehicle companies have also accelerated their efforts in this field.

Specifically, CATL has adopted a strategy of “pursuing semi-solid-state first while tackling all-solid-state technology” in the solid-state battery arena. Its condensed semi-solid-state batteries achieved large-scale mass production in Q1 2025, and the world’s first sulfide all-solid-state battery pilot line was put into operation in Hefei in May last year, with plans for small-scale mass production by 2027. In October 2025, Sunwoda released its “Xinbixiao” polymer solid-state battery, with a 0.2 GWh all-solid-state battery pilot line expected to be completed in March this year, also targeting small-scale mass production by 2027.

Among new energy vehicle manufacturers, Changan Automobile’s “Golden Bell Cover” all-solid-state battery technology has progressed from the laboratory to real-vehicle validation, with plans to enter vehicle integration verification in 2026 and achieve scaled mass production by 2027. Geely Auto aims to complete all-solid-state battery vehicle integration verification in 2026, followed by scaled mass production in 2027. SAIC Motor emphasized in its 2026 new vehicle plan that all-solid-state batteries will undergo prototype vehicle testing within the year. Currently, the MG4 semi-solid-state “Anxin” edition has already been launched. GAC Group announced in November last year that it had taken the lead in building China’s first large-capacity all-solid-state battery pilot production line. By 2026, its Hyper brand models are expected to be fully equipped with solid-state batteries, with mass production gradually rolling out between 2027 and 2030.

Timeline-wise, most automakers’ plans for solid-state battery vehicle integration are concentrated between 2026 and 2030. Various indicators suggest that a competitive race around solid-state batteries has quietly commenced among major automakers. This, in turn, will accelerate the rapid development of solid-state batteries.

It is understood that solid-state batteries replace traditional flammable liquid electrolytes with non-combustible, non-corrosive solid electrolytes, fundamentally eliminating risks such as leakage, combustion, and explosions. Even under extreme conditions like high temperatures, compression, or puncture, they remain stable, ensuring inherent safety and significantly reducing thermal runaway risks. Thanks to their excellent stability, solid-state batteries can use metallic lithium as the anode, which offers up to ten times the energy density compared to current graphite anodes. Additionally, their stable nature results in fewer side effects, thereby extending battery lifespan. Moreover, they exhibit stronger adaptability to temperature variations, functioning effectively across a wide range from -50°C to 200°C. Furthermore, since there is no need to worry about leakage, solid-state batteries can be designed in more flexible shapes, perfectly adapting to electric vehicle platform structures, filling previously unused spaces, and substantially improving the volumetric energy density of power batteries.

Overall, the transition from liquid to solid-state batteries represents a generational leap in power battery technology.

Despite their multiple performance advantages, solid-state batteries still face significant challenges before they can truly achieve vehicle integration.

Among these challenges, the production processes and equipment requirements for solid-state batteries are far more demanding than those for liquid batteries. Public data shows that the cost of liquid lithium-ion batteries is approximately 100–150 USD/kWh, while solid-state batteries cost between 400–800 USD/kWh, making them three to four times more expensive. Additionally, the construction cost of ultra-clean, dry workshops required for solid-state batteries is several times higher than that of traditional liquid battery production lines.

Cost aside, solid-state batteries are not absolutely safe either. Some industry experts have noted, “A thermal runaway in a liquid battery might be like a small firecracker—startling but with limited destructive power—whereas if a solid-state battery breaches its safety limits, it could be more like a large firecracker, with more severe consequences.” In other words, the harm caused by thermal runaway in solid-state batteries could be greater.

Currently, high costs and safety uncertainties present significant practical obstacles to the deployment of solid-state batteries.

That said, the mass production and implementation of solid-state batteries would be a major boon for the new energy vehicle industry, and many automakers have already outlined clear timelines for this technology’s adoption. 2027 is a critical milestone for the small-batch mass production of solid-state batteries, with demonstration lines set to officially commence production and vehicle integration. By then, whether solid-state batteries are mere hype or genuine technological advancement will become clear.