Chinese battery experts are continuing to advance emerging technology that could revolutionize how we power electric vehicles and other electronics — making them lighter, cheaper, and able to travel 600 miles on a charge.
The latest headlines involve three breakthroughs that could speed up the development of promising, yet challenging, solid-state batteries, according to China National Radio and Electrek.
"The future is here," CNR's report declared.
The trio of innovations concerns lithium-metal batteries with a firm electrolyte, the middle portion of a battery where ions travel between two electrodes. Solid-state packs are lighter, safer, and last longer than common ones with a liquid center. But an affordable production process has been among the hurdles, Top Speed reported.
The development has the potential for a 220-pound pack to provide up to 621 miles of range, hundreds of miles more than the model year 2024 average, according to CNR and EV data collected by the U.S. Department of Energy. The average EV battery now weighs 1,000 pounds, per Kelley Blue Book.
The first breakthrough comes from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its experts have developed an iodine-ion adhesive that helps with the bond between the clay-like lithium metal anode and the solid ceramic electrolyte, attracting lithium ions to gaps in the bond, helping performance, according to CNR.
Lithium-metal packs use lithium as the anode instead of graphite, like in common energy storage. The battery type is being heavily researched in China because of its superb energy density, or the amount of power stored per pound, which results in lighter packs and EVs.
The academy also developed a polymer "skeleton" for the electrolyte, making it resistant to flexing. The skeleton-enhanced electrolyte was bent 20,000 times and twisted into a spiral shape with no ill impact, making everyday stresses tolerable. Other additives boost energy storage capacity by 86%, CNR reported.
Finally, Tsinghua University researchers modified the electrolyte with "fluorinated polyether materials." The result is essentially a "protective shell" that withstands high voltage degradation. Test cells withstood puncture and high-temperature trials, per CNR.
It's a trifecta of news from a region of the world that's no stranger to game-changing battery moments. Electrek's Peter Johnson wrote that China is "dominating the global EV battery market."
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Yes 👍 Most of the tech is unavailable stateside because of trade deals that span administrations. They are designed to protect American jobs and the auto industry from cheap imports, according to NPR.
Regardless, global competition can benefit consumers who are looking for cheaper, better batteries and EVs. And American automakers aren't sitting idle. Ford has plans to build a $30,000 electric truck in 2027, a major price improvement. Slate Auto has a $25,000 truck it intends to introduce next year. Battery prices generally are expected to continue dropping, Recurrent reported.
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For its part, the solid-state news from China is an interesting entry in the pack type's progress log.
"The new developments could help it stay one step ahead of the rest of the world," Johnson wrote for Electrek.
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