With the solid-state battery research and breakthrough battles intensifying, some are already at the production planning stage. After completing another round of funding, solid-state battery maker Tailan New Energy (TNE) whose goal is to hit cost parity with current lithium batteries with liquid electrolyte, will be inaugurating a total of 12 GWh of production capacity.
Its solid-state battery technology uses oxide electrolyte, like the solid-state battery developments at Toyota or Samsung. Currently, TNE makes semi solid-state batteries with 5%-10% liquid electrolyte present still, in a small-batch factory with 0.2 GWh capacity. Its second stage semi solid-state cells for which it will launch 2 GWh factory capacity next year uses 95%+ solid-state electrolyte, and offers 400 Wh/kg - 500 Wh/kg energy density.
The third and largest solid-state battery factory which will be constructed with the last funding round is planned for 10 GWh of manufacturing capacity, and will be ready for mass production next year or in early 2025. There, TNE hopes to produce its batteries with true solid-state electrolyte that offer all the bells and whistles of the technology, such as 500+ Wh/kg energy density, but also much lower combustion potential, slower discharge at low temps, and a much longer lifecycle.
The company calls itself a "solid-state battery popularizer," as it aims not only to make prototypes, but actually achieve cost parity with current ternary lithium batteries for electric vehicles, as well as have its inventions ready for mass production.
"More than 80% of the processes in our semi-solid battery production line are derived from the mature technology of the liquid lithium battery production line. The cost is comparable to liquid batteries, and even lower after mass production," notes Tailan's CEO. The company's solid-state battery technology is currently sampling with potential customers before the eventual mass production orders.