Solid-state batteries accelerate evolution: moving from "technology verification" to "industrialization competition," pilot testing reaches a critical juncture.

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If in the past few years the solid-state battery industry was still lingering at the stage of "laboratory breakthroughs" and "material route disputes," then the changes that occurred in the first quarter of 2026 mark the industry’s rapid entry into the stage of "engineering advancement" and "industrialization race."

iiMedia Research predicts that global solid-state battery shipments will soar from 34GWh in 2026 to 614GWh in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate as high as 106%. Among them, shipments of all-solid-state batteries are expected to exceed 200GWh by 2030.

I. What happened? Progress in technology

Core points are as follows—

The global power battery industry is facing the most profound paradigm shift since the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries in 1991.

① Forced by policy: The new national standard "Safety Requirements for Power Batteries for Electric Vehicles," implemented in July 2026, uses "no fire, no explosion" as the baseline. This essentially closes off the living space for traditional liquid lithium batteries under ultra-high energy density (>350 Wh/kg), forcing the industry chain towards solid-state transformation.

② Clear technical definitions: The new national standard issued in 2026 for the first time quantitatively defines all-solid-state batteries, semi-solid-state, and liquid batteries. This ends five years of chaotic marketing in the industry.

③ Exploding scenarios: Aside from traditional new energy vehicles, the full rise of the "low altitude economy" (eVTOL) in 2026 brings rigid demands for high specific energy and high safety batteries, making solid-state batteries the only feasible solution.

Leading domestic enterprises are speeding up industrialization:

1) EVE Energy: Launch of "Longquan II" (10Ah, targeting humanoid robots and low-altitude aircraft) in September 2025. Only half a year later, "Longquan III" and "Longquan IV" were released, expanding application scenarios to consumer electronics and NEV power batteries.

2) BYD: Sulfide all-solid-state battery energy density reached 480Wh/kg, Chongqing 20GWh production line to be put into operation in 2026, and 5000km of road testing completed with zero thermal runaway incidents.

3) CATL: Expected to begin small-scale mass production of solid-state batteries in 2027; using "condensed-state batteries" and other transitional technologies to preempt high-energy-density scenarios.

4) Sunwoda: Has connected a 0.2GWh solid-state battery sample line, will advance pilot production and full-size cell verification in 2026, and plans for mass production of all-solid-state batteries in 2027.

5) Gotion High-Tech: Has completed GWh-scale solid-state battery production line design, pushing products into vehicle-grade verification.

6) InPower Battery (GAC Group): Released the "Da Fang Wu Yu" series 587Ah energy storage cell, including Haohan version (liquid) and Qiankun version (semi-solid). The Qiankun version is the industry's first mass-produced semi-solid large energy storage cell, and its exclusive 6.5GWh product line will take the lead in large-scale mass production.

7) Farasis Energy: GWh-level shipment of semi-solid batteries, with significant growth expected in 2026; all-solid-state batteries have been sampled to leading humanoid robot clients.

8) Chery Automobile: Rhino all-solid-state battery mass production cell energy density is 400Wh/kg, laboratory version 600Wh/kg, supports 6C ultra-fast charging (5 minutes for 500km), plans to start vehicle installation testing in Q4 2026.

Overseas companies are moving in step:

1) Toyota: Mass production of solid-state batteries clearly targeted for 2027–2028, directly embedded into the next-generation EV platform development schedule.

2) Samsung SDI: Advancing all-solid-state pilot line, focusing on anode-free and high-energy-density technology reserves, planning for commercialization before 2030.

3) LG Energy Solution, SK On: Continuously increasing efforts in sulfide electrolyte systems, aiming to approach liquid battery performance limits by improving ionic conductivity.

Policy dividends continue to be released.

National standards officially in effect: In July 2026, the new national standard "Safety Requirements for Power Batteries for Electric Vehicles" and the standard for solid-state batteries will be officially implemented. The former, with strict requirements of "no fire, no explosion," forces the industry toward intrinsically safe solid-state batteries; the latter, for the first time, quantitatively defines all-solid-state (weight loss rate ≤0.5%), semi-solid, and liquid batteries, providing authoritative standard support for the industry chain. Top-level design reinforcement: Solid-state batteries are included in the "15th Five-Year Plan" for intelligent, connected NEV development and future industry core tracks, with policy benefits continuously released. This marks that China has taken the lead in global solid-state battery standard setting, with the prospect of further mastering global industry discourse.

II. Why is it important? Exponential growth is imminent

In 2024, the global solid-state battery equipment market size reached 4.0 billion yuan, including 3.84 billion yuan for semi-solid battery equipment; all-solid-state battery equipment is still in the pilot stage, at only 160 million yuan. As industrialization progresses, by 2030 the market size is expected to soar to 107.94 billion yuan, with a CAGR of over 70%.

By the end of 2025, the global cumulative patent applications for solid-state battery storage technology surpassed 100,000. Since 2019, annual additions have topped 5,000 per year, exceeding 10,000 in 2023 and 2024, hitting record highs. By end-2025, China will have over 14,000 authorized patents in solid-state battery storage technology, including 11,000 invention patents (78.8%) and 2,951 utility models (21%). Explosive patent growth lays a solid foundation for the sector’s exponential industrial growth.

From the supply side:

Capacity planning: Leading domestic companies are planning solid-state battery capacity in 2026–2027 to exceed 50GWh. BYD’s 20GWh Chongqing line will be in production in 2026; InPower’s 6.5GWh semi-solid line is starting construction. Equipment supply: Lead Intelligent has full-line solid-state battery solutions; Naco New Energy leads in dry-process equipment; Litong Technology has a first-mover advantage in isostatic pressing equipment.

Now, analyzing from the demand side.

New energy vehicles: Leading carmakers at home and abroad aim to have all-solid-state batteries in cars by 2027. FAW Hongqi and Chery will intensively start installation tests in 2026.

Energy storage: Semi-solid batteries are first applied in high-safety-demand scenarios like data centers and industrial/commercial use. InPower's Qiankun version semi-solid storage cell is tailored for "zero-tolerance" safety locations such as city centers, data centers, and chemical parks.

Low-altitude economy: The extreme energy density requirements of eVTOLs make solid-state batteries the best choice. EVE’s Longquan II has already entered humanoid robot and low-altitude aircraft applications.

Humanoid robots: Extreme requirements for space efficiency, endurance, and safety make solid-state batteries a natural fit.

III. What to focus on next? Who will benefit?

In 2026, solid-state battery costs are still about 50%-80% higher than liquid lithium batteries. But as key raw material costs fall, the downward trend is clear. We believe the focus should be on "bottleneck segments" and "value uplift" segments—those with the greatest increment and most pronounced bottlenecks:

① Bottleneck core materials:

Solid electrolytes: Especially sulfide electrolytes and their key precursor, high-purity lithium sulfide. The cost of the latter is currently enormous (hundreds of thousands of yuan per ton), and the complex production process (extremely sensitive to water and oxygen) makes it the core cost reduction bottleneck—whoever breaks through here will control the industry’s lifeline.

Lithium metal anodes: Scalable production of ultra-thin (<20μm), uniform lithium foil (e.g. rolling, vapor deposition), and interface modification to solve dendrites and volume expansion are major high-barrier challenges.

② Value-boosting upgrade materials:

Anodes: Upgrading from graphite (~372 mAh/g) to silicon-carbon anodes (>600 mAh/g, especially third-generation CVD techniques) is key to enhancing energy density, bringing several multiples of unit value growth.

Conductive agents: Upgrading from traditional carbon black (3-5% added) to single-walled carbon nanotubes (<0.5% added) offers excellent conductivity and flexibility, irreplaceable for increasing energy density and suppressing silicon expansion—these are “small-amount, high-efficiency” high-value-added materials.

③ Manufacturing equipment:

Equipment vendors are expected to be the most certain beneficiaries in the early stage of solid-state battery industrialization, ahead of large-scale materials release.

Upstream revolutionary equipment: Dry-process electrode equipment (dry mixers, fibrillation devices, precision thermal calenders) will disrupt traditional wet-process lines. Since sulfide materials cannot contact water, the dry method is essential, creating demand for new equipment.

Midstream incremental equipment: Isostatic pressing equipment is the "only solution" to address solid–solid interface contact issues—a high-value segment absent in liquid battery production.

Downstream upgrade equipment: High-pressure formation equipment (pressure jumping from 10 tons to 60–80 tons) and others need synchronised upgrades.

The three stages of future industrialization—key milestones to remember—

Stage one: 2026–2027

Pilot testing and program finalization, from samples to small-batch production to vehicle installation tests, with process route selection;

Stage two: 2027–2030

Entering a cooling-off and ramp-up period, with delivery, yield rate, and cost reduction as critical focuses;

Stage three: 2030–2035

Large-scale commercialization and cost competition—brutal industry competition; companies with scale effects will be the final beneficiaries. 2026 is the "Normandy landing" moment for solid-state batteries. Though it will still take time before large-scale, low-cost replacement, the certainty of technology paths has greatly increased—it is worth attention.

Risk Warning and DisclaimerThe market is risky, and investment requires caution. This article does not constitute individual investment advice and does not take into account the special investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any views, opinions, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their specific situation. Investment decisions based on this are at your own risk. ```