Chinese EV giant and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) rival, BYD Co. (OTC:BYDDY) has outlined plans to commence “demonstration use” of all-solid-state batteries by 2027, with a broader adoption anticipated post-2030.
What Happened: As per a report by CnEVPost, Sun Huajun, the Chief Technology Officer of BYD’s battery business, revealed the timeline at the China All-Solid-State Battery Innovation and Development Summit Forum. He also mentioned that the industry is making similar strides.
BYD, the world’s largest new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer and the second-largest producer of power batteries, has been working on all-solid-state batteries since 2013. By 2024, the company had begun assessing the feasibility of industrializing these batteries, with trial production already underway for solid-state battery cells featuring single-cell capacities of 20 Ah and 60 Ah.
Sun stated that BYD’s choice of materials for solid-state batteries is also based on sulfide electrolytes, primarily due to cost and process stability considerations.
Sun stated that cost wouldn’t pose a long-term issue for solid-state batteries. He attributed the current high cost of sulfide electrolytes used in BYD’s solid-state batteries to their low volume. “It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to talk about cost in the absence of volume,” he said. Sun anticipates that as the adoption of solid-state ternary batteries grows, their cost will become comparable to that of liquid ternary batteries.
Meanwhile, Lian Yubo, BYD’s Chief Scientist and Dean of the Automotive Engineering Research Institute clarified, “Solid-state batteries will be mainly used in high-end models, empowering each other with lithium iron phosphate batteries, and used in vehicles of different levels.”
SEE ALSO: Hesai’s Lidar Takes On Bigger Role In BYD’s ‘God’s Eye’ Advanced Driver Assistance
Why It Matters: All-solid-state batteries are considered the future of electric vehicles (EVs) due to their potential for higher energy density, faster charging, and improved safety compared to current lithium-ion batteries. BYD’s timeline for the demonstration and subsequent mass adoption of these batteries aligns with the industry’s progress.
The company’s ongoing efforts since 2013 to develop and industrialize all-solid-state batteries indicate its commitment to innovation and leadership in the EV market. Furthermore, Sun’s comments about the cost of solid-state batteries provide a positive outlook for their future affordability.
However, experts indicate that mass-producing solid-state batteries can be a significant challenge. “Part of the timeline issue is that you can’t use the same manufacturing plants and processes for SSBs,” explained Liz Najman, the Director of market insights at battery health and data start-up Recurrent. “You need to build everything new, which requires money and time,” he added.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
