Sind Festkörperbatterien in Schwierigkeiten? Eine Massenproduktion im Jahr 2026 ist wahrscheinlich nicht möglich, da vier zentrale Probleme schwer zu lösen sind.

Solid-state batteries, which boast multiple advantages such as high energy density, fast charging speed, and stable properties, are considered an ideal energy solution for the new energy era. To gain a more favorable market position, some enterprises have announced their mass production schedules for solid-state batteries. Some companies even plan to put solid-state batteries into mass production for vehicles in 2026.

However, the technical bottlenecks that enterprises need to overcome may be greater than expected.

At the recently held "2025 China Auto Forum", Wang Fang, the chief scientist of China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd., straightforwardly pointed out that solid-state batteries still face four core issues that are difficult to break through in the short term: unclear ion conduction channels, complex production processes, inadequate safety control, and high difficulty in large-scale mass production.

To put it simply, it is difficult to make significant breakthroughs in the technology, materials, and cost of solid-state batteries in the short term.

Image source: IM Motors official website

It is undeniable that solid-state batteries theoretically have comprehensive advantages and huge market development potential. However, with only about two years left until 2027, whether they can be produced according to the mass production schedule seems less important. The key is whether consumers will have the opportunity to drive vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries.

Solid-state batteries may not be as comprehensive as expected

Mainstream domestic automakers and battery companies have announced their mass production schedules for all-solid-state batteries. According to incomplete statistics, most enterprises plan to put solid-state batteries into mass production for vehicles between 2026 and 2030.

Not only in China, Japanese companies such as Toyota and Nissan have entered the trial production stage of all-solid-state batteries, and German companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen are also actively deploying in this field.

Compiled by: EV Insights

Wang Fang directly stated the current upper limit of the capabilities of solid-state batteries: "The safety margin of solid-state batteries is indeed wider than that of liquid batteries. However, once this margin is breached, the consequences will be more severe than those of liquid batteries."

With the rapid spread of information on the Internet, incidents of electric vehicle spontaneous combustion easily attract attention and discussion. More and more "spontaneous combustion incidents" have deepened consumers' stereotypes about "electric vehicles being unsafe." Therefore, consumers attach great importance to battery safety.

As new energy is one of the important development strategies for enterprises, in order to show more sincerity, automakers have set unprecedentedly high requirements for battery safety. They even use "super-national standard" test matrices to differentiate themselves from other automakers. The results of various tests such as extrusion tests, bottom battery installation, water immersion tests, external fire tests, and shooting/extreme penetration tests are directly announced at new car press conferences.

Image source: ZEEKR official

On May 22 this year, the Society of Automotive Engineers of China issued the "Determination Method for All-Solid-State Batteries" (T/CSAE 434 - 2025). This standard clearly defines the concept of "all-solid-state batteries" for the first time, requiring that ion transfer be completely achieved through solid electrolytes, thus establishing a strict technical boundary with hybrid solid-liquid electrolyte batteries. In this way, it can effectively prevent automakers from hyping up concepts such as "all-solid-state" and "semi-solid-state."

The wide safety margin of solid-state batteries is indeed a major selling point. However, if consumers are asked to accept a 1% chance of more severe consequences, EV Insights believes that few consumers will choose solid-state batteries. Moreover, conscientious enterprises are also reluctant to produce such products.

Since solid-state batteries have not yet been mass-produced for vehicles, the safety capabilities of solid-state batteries are only limited to the "verbal claims" of automakers. SAIC Group revealed in response to investors that "the new generation of solid-state batteries has better safety performance. In scenarios such as needle penetration and a 200-degree Celsius hot box, the battery cells can be ensured not to catch fire or explode."

The JINSHI all-solid-state battery released by Gotion High-Tech "has undergone 365 days of extreme verification. The single-cell capacity has increased by 150%, and the pre-tightening force has decreased by 90%. It can withstand tests such as needle penetration, hot box, external short circuit, and overcharging."

Image source: GAC Group

Enterprises have a highly consistent stance on solid-state batteries. However, at present, only the standard system for all-solid-state batteries has been clarified, and the safety requirements for all-solid-state batteries have not yet been established.

It should be noted that laboratory results do not equal the real performance after mass production for vehicles. If all-solid-state batteries are to gain the trust of more consumers after mass production for vehicles, automakers need to set high enough requirements themselves, and relevant departments also need to set safety standards for all-solid-state batteries as soon as possible. Only with standards to follow can consumers be completely prevented from believing the "self-indulgent claims" of some automakers.

The "wild growth" of pure electric and hybrid vehicles has reduced the urgency for solid-state batteries

In the past, solid-state batteries were considered the key technology for the new energy era to reach a new level. On the one hand, hybrid vehicles were regarded as a "transitional power solution," and pure electric vehicles were the future trend. On the other hand, most of the liquid lithium batteries used in new energy vehicles have not completely solved problems such as severe battery degradation under extreme temperatures.

However, the automotive market environment has changed now.

First of all, Guo Shougang, the deputy director of the First Department of Equipment Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, proposed at the end of last year that "while vigorously developing new energy vehicles, we should also promote the development of internal combustion engine technology simultaneously." As a result, automakers have further increased their efforts to launch new hybrid vehicles. Just this year, new and important hybrid SUVs such as the Leapmotor C16, Fangchengbao Leopard 8, Denza N9, AITO M8, and Lynk & Co 900 have been launched.

According to the "Analysis of the National Passenger Vehicle Market in June 2025" released by the China Passenger Car Association, plug-in hybrid vehicles and extended-range hybrid vehicles showed year-on-year growth of 31.5% and 16.5% respectively in the first half of this year. This shows that most domestic consumers have recognized the high energy efficiency advantages of hybrid vehicles.

Image source: China Passenger Car Association

In other words, hybrid vehicles are one of the mainstream choices in the current market. Internal combustion engines will not exit the historical stage so soon. Investing in the research and development of hybrid engines or range extenders in hybrid systems has become a profitable strategy for automakers.

Secondly, although the problem of rapid range degradation of liquid lithium batteries has not been completely solved, the current pure electric vehicle system is rich enough. Consumers can also choose fast charging technology and battery swapping technology, which can solve the problem of rapid range degradation from another aspect and even slow down the development speed of solid-state batteries.

On March 17 this year, BYD released the e-Platform 4.0, and its fast charging battery can achieve the fastest charging speed in mass production globally - 5 minutes of fast charging for a range of 400 kilometers. Moreover, ZEEKR and Huawei Digital Power have successively released 1.2MW all-liquid-cooled charging piles and charging products with a maximum power of 1.5MW.

It is true that these fast charging technologies have not yet formed a large-scale system. However, this also shows that there is still great development potential for liquid lithium batteries. If an automaker has to choose between investing in solid-state batteries, which are extremely difficult to develop, and the "fast charging technology" for liquid lithium batteries, the "fast charging technology" that has been realized by other companies is more likely to be the main investment target.

Image source: NIO official website

Moreover, battery swapping technology, which has a faster charging speed than fast charging technology, is also a major focus at present. NIO now has a relatively large battery swapping system, with more than 3,000 battery swapping stations, which is even more than the number of super charging stations of Li Auto and XPeng.

As battery technology progresses, battery swapping stations need to support battery packs of various specifications, and new vehicles need to be designed to be compatible with more battery swapping stations. This may restrict the upgrade of new vehicles and become one of the shortcomings of battery swapping vehicles. However, from a system perspective, NIO's battery swapping stations will not collapse in the short term. Moreover, with the popularity of the LeDao L90, consumers will become more dependent on battery swapping stations. Battery swapping stations will become one of the energy replenishment systems competing with super charging stations and fast charging stations.

When hybrid technology, fast charging technology, and battery swapping technology can meet the market demand, all-solid-state batteries with high energy density are no longer a "necessity" but an "optional item." Automakers will surely focus on high-profit areas and may delay the mass production of all-solid-state batteries again and again.

Conclusion

Theoretically, the comprehensive capabilities of solid-state batteries are definitely stronger than those of liquid lithium batteries. However, there are indeed many problems that need to be overcome for solid-state batteries to be mass-produced for vehicles. The technology, raw materials, performance stability, safety, and energy replenishment implementation all need to be guaranteed.

More importantly, the cost of solid-state batteries is already high. A research report released by the battery research institution Battery Intelligence revealed that the unit cost of solid-state batteries is as high as 1,200 yuan/kWh, which is more than three times the cost of traditional liquid lithium batteries.

In addition, considering the high R & D costs of solid-state batteries, the solid-state battery vehicles produced in the early stage will inevitably be expensive. This means that it will be difficult to achieve large-scale mass production of solid-state battery vehicles in the early stage.

EV Insights is skeptical about the mass production schedules for solid-state batteries announced by automakers. It will take enterprises several years to reduce costs while ensuring quality. Moreover, all-solid-state batteries are still on the verge of mass production for vehicles. Optimistically, it may take about five years to achieve large-scale deployment of solid-state batteries.

(Cover image source: IM Motors official website)

This article is from "EV Insights" and is published by 36Kr with permission.