At China forum, CATL boss warns the solid-state EV battery leap is still years from mass production

Comments made at a World Economic Forum event in China are casting a more cautious light on one of the EV sector's most heavily promoted future technologies.

During a panel, Robin Zeng Yuqun, chairman of the world's leading battery manufacturer CATL, said all-solid-state EV batteries are still a long way from large-scale production, pushing back on the growing industry message that the breakthrough is close at hand.

What happened?

According to Electrek, Zeng made the remarks during a panel in Dalian at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions.

"Based on a measure of level one to nine, the technology has only reached level four so far," Zeng said, Electrek reported, adding that he said fully solid-state batteries are not expected to reach mass production until 2030.

China already has EVs on the market promoted as having "solid-state" batteries, but many of them use semi-solid systems that still depend partly on liquid or gel electrolytes, the outlet reported.

The version Zeng discussed in his comments is the fully solid type, which removes that liquid component altogether. That could eventually bring longer range, faster charging, and better safety, but it also creates major manufacturing challenges at scale.

Why does it matter?

If all-solid-state batteries perform as promised, they could make everyday EV ownership much simpler by reducing charging stops, extending driving range, and easing concerns about battery degradation or fire risk.

For families, commuters, delivery fleets, and cities, that could mean time savings, lower fuel and maintenance costs, and more resilient transportation systems during extreme weather or outages.

Zeng said, "Even if the products are delivered, it remains to be seen whether they will be well received and become a commercial success on the market."

Getting a breakthrough battery to work in a lab is only part of the challenge. Producing millions of affordable battery packs that consumers actually want is an entirely different hurdle.

Current battery technology continues to improve while becoming more affordable, which means more practical electric cars are arriving even before true solid-state packs do.

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