CATL confirms solid-state battery production in 2027 as it warns about manufacturing scale

CATL has dispelled the rumor that it will start mass production of a solid-state battery capable of powering an EV for more than 1,200 miles on a charge as early as 2027.

The world's largest battery maker will indeed begin pilot solid-state battery cell manufacturing then, expanding on its current trial line, but it will be on a smaller scale. Moreover, the rumor that its solid-state battery will have an energy density that allows covering 2,000 km (1,252 miles) on a single charge has seemingly been exaggerated, too.

There are solid-state battery discoveries that would allow such an EV, but they are still in the lab and are yet to be commercialized, while CATL already announced that its solid-state battery technology offers the peak energy density of 500 Wh/kg.

That is still the theoretical maximum of the current solid-state battery technology suitable for mass production, and double that of modern EV batteries with liquid electrolyte, though. A solid-state battery with 500 Wh/kg density was recently able to propel a Mercedes EQS prototype for 749 miles on a single charge, for instance, more than double the average EV range.

CATL reiterated that solid-state battery "commercialization, including supply chain development, is still some distance away," a position it has held since 2022 when NIO asked it to produce its cells with semi-solid electrolyte. At the time, it pegged the start of true mass solid-state battery production for 2030.

This doesn't mean that it isn't developing solid-state battery technology, as CATL has been working on it for a decade, with 1,000 of its engineers currently involved in the project, and a trial production line underway.

"CATL continues to invest in solid-state battery technology, maintaining industry-leading technical expertise, and anticipates achieving small-scale production by 2027," declared the battery maker, aiming to temper expectations. Last year, CATL's CEO pegged the industry's ability to mass-produce solid-state batteries at 4 on a 9-point scale. He said that CATL will be at manufacturing maturity level 7 or 8 in 2027, and that will allow it to make the first batches. Mum's the word which EV maker will get those.

Solid-state batteries, while offering higher energy and safety parameters, are rather pricey to make. NIO cautioned that its 150 kWh pack with semi-solid electrolyte costs as much as the average EV, and only rents it out for longer summer trips.

Production scaling will gradually change the manufacturing cost calculations, but for now CATL pegs solid-state batteries as more suitable for drones and robots, where energy density matters more, rather than mass market electric cars. There, the affordable LFP battery technology that is in everything, from the new compact Anker Prime power banks, to giant ESS systems, still reigns supreme.