Solid-state battery with record energy density uses Elon Musk's manganese for 1200 miles of EV range

NIO's CEO recently completed a range test in an ET7 performance sedan equipped with its 150 kWh semi solid-state battery that covered more than 650 miles on the highway.

The pack offers 360 Wh/kg energy density with 95% solid-state electrolyte, and will be installed in retail EVs this quarter.

Another battery developer, however, Tailan New Energy, just announced that it has crafted a solid-state battery with the highest energy density among existing ternary lithium batteries.

Tailan's solid-state battery has double the energy density of NIO's 150 kWh pack and would be good for more than 1200 miles of range on a single charge.

While solid-state batteries are usually cited along with the 500 Wh/kg mark, the record 720 Wh/kg energy density of the new battery has been achieved with several technological breakthroughs.

"The all-solid-state lithium battery released uses a high-gram capacity, long-cycle lithium-rich manganese-based material for the positive electrode," tips Tailan, and adds that "in order to solve the solid-solid interface impedance problem... it is also equipped with Tailan New Energy’s unique high-performance oxide composite solid-state electrolyte."

Just as Elon Musk predicted, adding manganese is turning a very promising avenue for developing of high-performance EV batteries. CATL's M3P phosphate cells with manganese, for instance, offer 15% higher energy density than the LFP cells that Tesla uses in the Model 3 Highland.

There's more to the new 720 Wh/kg solid-state battery, though:

At the same time, Tailan New Energy improves the migration ability of charged particles inside the cathode by building an efficient ion and electron transmission network, and uses self-developed interface flexible layer materials to effectively reduce the interface impedance while also improving the interface stability, achieving It has comprehensively improved the comprehensive performance of the battery and is expected to fundamentally solve the problems of battery life and safety anxiety of traditional lithium-ion batteries.

China is betting big on solid-state battery development as a way to mitigate EV range and charging anxieties, with the world's largest EV battery makers forming a manufacturing task force there.

The EV industry in China is projected to access 500 GWh of solid-state battery factory capacity in the next few years, sparking fears of oversupply even.

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