The company has been working on solid-state batteries for a decade, but remains unconvinced
April 15, 2024 at 7:49 am
- Robin Zeng is concerned about the lifespan of solid-state batteries and their safety.
- CATL is working on new units for sodium ions and condensed matter.
- Toyota is considered one of the leading developers of solid-state batteries.
The founder and chief executive of the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker believes it will be many years before solid-state batteries are available, although Toyota recently claimed it could bring the new batteries to market within three years.
Robin Zeng, the man behind CATL, says he supports solid-state batteries but believes they pose problems that need to be overcome. For example, he says that to get the best out of them they need to use pure lithium metal for the anode electrode. These ions then have to be diffused under high pressure, which poses a safety risk.
Read: Toyota’s first solid-state battery electric vehicle with a range of 750 miles is coming in a few years
According to Zeng, CATL engineers tested the materials of solid-state batteries under pressure. “Then they test and [say] Oh, very good, the ion transfer is very good. But how to suppress it in reality? [so much] Zeng added that as a battery is charged and discharged, the lithium expands, shortening its lifespan. He said such a cell can only survive “maybe 10 cycles…so how do you make it commercially viable?”
“We fully support solid-state, but I have been investing in it for 10 years,” he added. “I watch the development people working on solid-state almost every month, so I know all the progress, and somehow we still have these eye-catchers.”
The CATL boss added that if a solid-state battery breaks in an accident, the lithium can mix with humidity and release toxic lithium hydroxide.
While the company remains cautious about solid-state batteries, it is still developing new batteries for electric vehicles. For example, there has been heavy investment in sodium ion and condensation batteries, which use a semi-solid material. Zeng told the Financial Times that these batteries could provide twice the range of a normal lithium-ion battery without the risks associated with solid-state cells.
Zeng’s statements on solid-state batteries are surprising because in February CATL was among a number of Chinese companies that formed a new consortium with the aim of establishing a local solid-state battery supply chain by 2030.
