not long ago, weilan new energy held the offline ceremony of the vehicle specification level solid power cell, and the first solid power cell in weilan huzhou base was officially offline. the mixed solid liquid electrolyte battery that will be installed on the ulai et7 is not a full solid state battery, but a semi-solid state battery, but it is enough to stir up the nerves of the capital market and visitors.
the industry has long been in pursuit of solid state batteries. on the one hand, solid state batteries can solve various pain points in the development of new energy automobile industry. compared with lithium battery, solid state battery has the characteristics of high energy density, long driving range and high safety. take the semi-solid state battery that will be equipped with weilai et7 as an example, the battery pack can reach 150kwh, the energy density can reach 360wh/kg, and the driving range of a single charge can reach 1000km. to some extent, solid state battery is like a "universal" role, which can remove many obstacles in industrial development.
on the other hand, as a disruptive power battery technology in the future, the emergence of solid state batteries will overturn the existing industrial chain pattern, and may even create the next "ningwang". at present, the key materials of lithium battery, such as positive pole, negative pole, diaphragm, etc., after years of technological development, the "inner roll" is very serious, and has reached the limit value of material performance. the development trend of electrolyte from liquid to gel, from semi-solid to all solid is becoming the only way for the development of the next generation power battery technology.
solid state battery is regarded as the key factor to add more variables to the power battery market pattern, and has been popular with capital. according to incomplete statistics, since 2022, weilan new energy, tailan new energy, qingtao energy and other solid state battery suppliers have obtained a new round of investment. however, from the current point of view, there are still many problems to be solved for all solid state batteries. on the whole, they are still in the technical breakthrough stage, and it still takes time to produce and load large modules. the general consensus in the industry is that all solid state batteries will be applied in 2025~2030.
in this case, as a transitional route, various power battery enterprises compete to arrange semi-solid batteries. among the mainstream power battery enterprises, ningde times, zhongchuangxin aviation, guoxuan hi tech, ganfeng lithium, funeng technology, etc. have publicly indicated that they have a layout in semi-solid battery technology. in the 1000 km continuous driving mileage race, in addition to weilai automobile, saic zhiji, gac aian, gaohe, etc. are also actively cooperating with solid state battery manufacturers to jointly promote the progress of semi-solid state batteries. for example, the semi-solid battery of guoxuan high tech has a single energy density of 360wh/kg, a battery pack of 160kwh and a driving range of more than 1000km. it is expected to be loaded by the end of the year and delivered in batches next year.
with the focus of the market, the loading and mass production of semi-solid batteries is getting closer and closer, which is becoming a signal to test the market and the industrial chain, and further pave the way for promoting the mass production and application of all solid state batteries.
as we all know, the automotive industry has very high requirements on the consistency, safety, stability, cost and other aspects of the power battery. any new technology introduced into the vehicle requires an extremely rigorous verification process. from the perspective of industrial chain, to achieve the mass production of all solid state batteries, it is necessary to cultivate an industrial chain that is completely different from lithium batteries. at the moment when the power battery industry chain has become a foregone conclusion, semi-solid batteries still need to use electrolyte and diaphragm, which has limited impact on the entire industry chain. the loading and mass production of semi-solid batteries can provide a buffer zone, and may also lay a foundation for the advance layout of the all solid state battery industry chain.
as a transitional product, the most critical factor for whether semi-solid battery can really enter the market is the automobile enterprise. the attitude of car enterprises comes directly from the market and users. it can be seen that the driving range and safety of lithium-ion batteries are gradually improving, and the gap between lithium-ion batteries and semi-solid batteries is narrowing. in terms of cost, semi-solid batteries will also bring greater pressure to automobile enterprises. this means that semi-solid batteries are in parallel competition with lithium batteries, and do not necessarily have the advantage of compaction. car enterprises choose semi-solid batteries to "test water" in advance, which can test the attitude of the market and consumers towards solid batteries.
in the long run, the application of solid-state batteries may also be driven by the current mainstream battery enterprises. after all, semi-solid battery technology is not difficult for them to achieve; maintaining the existing lithium battery pattern can maximize our own interests. for a long time, solid state batteries standing on the "tuyere" have been very hot, and bmw, toyota, hyundai and other car companies are also betting. in the face of the two inseparable topics of technology and cost, enterprises also need to start from technology accumulation and storage. after all, no enterprise wants to fall into the torrent of technology. the mass production and loading of semi-solid batteries is a signal to enter the market.
source: china automobile news
