China’s Chery to mass

Chinese automaker Chery Auto is planning to launch a pilot testing scheme for its all-solid-state batteries in 2026, and mass produce them in 2027, in an effort to boost EV range to 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) on a single charge. China’s biggest car exporter expects the batteries to achieve an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) this year and reach 600 Wh/kg in 2025, Gao Xinhua, executive vice-president of the company said at its global innovation conference on Oct. 18. Peer GAC Group came out with a similar target of 2026, while Changan, another state-owned Chinese automaker, and CATL, China’s biggest battery supplier, have pinned initial commercialization of solid-state batteries to their 2027 calendars. Japan is by far the pioneer of the emerging technology, which uses a solid electrolyte instead of liquid electrolytes to have a theoretically higher thermal stability and energy density than existing batteries, with Toyota and Nissan aiming for volume production by 2028. [Chery announcement, in Chinese]