Global Landscape Analysis of Solid-State Battery Regulations, Policies, and Standards (Q2 2026)

Key Points

In Q2 2026, the solid‑state battery industry reached a critical policy and standards inflection point. China’s MIIT designated all‑solid‑state batteries as a key R&D priority, and the world’s first national standard for automotive solid‑state batteries (GB/T 43568‑2026) took effect on July 1. Provinces including Guangdong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Sichuan rolled out targeted industrial policies. Meanwhile, Japan, South Korea, the US, and the EU intensified their support, marking a clear shift from technology R&D to engineering validation and industrialization.

1. China: Policy Direction, Standard Setting, and Local Competition

1.1 National Level – MIIT Clarifies All‑Solid‑State Focus

At the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance Forum on June 30, 2026, MIIT’s Automotive Development Division outlined four major tasks:

Technology breakthroughs – prioritise all‑solid‑state and high‑energy‑density Li‑ion batteries, with a focus on three critical materials: Li‑rich Mn‑based cathodes, Si‑based anodes, and solid electrolytes.

Industry management – revise and enforce technical standards, strengthen product consistency supervision.

Fair competition – monitor capacity, guide capital investment, curb disorderly expansion, protect IP, and prevent “involution” from spilling overseas.

International cooperation – deepen technology and investment ties with multinational firms and align technical standards and regulations.

Earlier, the January 2026 inter‑ministerial meeting had already included all‑solid‑state batteries in the “15th Five‑Year Plan” as a national strategic priority, calling for self‑reliance in solid electrolytes (sulfide/oxide), Si anodes, ceramic separators, and dry‑electrode equipment.

1.2 Standards Milestone – GB/T 43568‑2026 Takes Effect

On July 1, 2026, GB/T 43568‑2026 Electric vehicle solid‑state battery – Part 1: Terminology and classification became effective – the world’s first national standard for automotive solid‑state batteries. It clearly defines three categories by liquid electrolyte mass fraction:

Liquid battery: >20%

Hybrid solid‑liquid battery: 5%–20%

All‑solid‑state battery: <5%, with an additional requirement of ≤0.5% weight loss after 6h vacuum drying at 120°C.

The standard eliminates ambiguous terms like “semi‑solid”, “quasi‑solid”, or “pseudo‑solid” for commercial use. It was jointly drafted by CATL, BYD, CATARC, and Gotion, and is planned to have four parts (terminology, performance, safety, durability). In parallel, the 2026 Automotive Standardization Work Priorities (May 26) called for a solid‑state battery standards system study, and a safety standard (Safety requirements and test methods for solid‑state Li‑ion cells and batteries) entered the public consultation phase in June. The government also allocated billions of yuan in special R&D funds. Notably, the first GWh‑scale all‑solid‑state production line (Daoktesi) started operations on the same day as the standard – marking 2026 as the “year‑zero” for solid‑state vehicle verification.

1.3 Local Industrial Policies – A Multi‑Province Race

Guangdong: On June 30, the “Green Valley” solid‑state battery industrial park (Phase I) broke ground in Huadu, Guangzhou, with a ¥2 billion investment and expected annual output of ¥2.4 billion; completion by September 2027. The province also promotes multiple technical routes (oxide, sulfide, polymer).

Anhui: In March, the provincial NDRC issued work priorities to formulate a solid‑state battery action plan; in May, the energy bureau explicitly supported solid/semi‑solid projects. Chuzhou’s 2 GWh base (Enpower) completed capacity ramp‑up in July.

Shandong: Qingdao’s 2026‑2028 action plan for power/storage batteries aims to build a full industry chain. A ¥2 billion robot park for solid‑state energy broke ground in Tai’an in June.

Jiangsu: Provincial R&D funds list all‑solid‑state as a “future energy” priority, focusing on “1‑to‑10” technology translation. Qingtao’s 10 GWh phase‑I project received energy approval in May.

Sichuan: The province designated solid‑state as a key new sector, with Yibin and Suining as core cities, supporting Yibin as a high‑level innovation hub.

Others: Jiangxi (Ganfeng Lithium) and Beijing (ETown) also accelerated  their deployments.

1.4 Summary

China has formed a three‑tier framework: central government sets direction, standards establish rules, and localities implement. This coordinated push is accelerating the industry from hype to verified engineering and volume production.

2. Overseas: Major Economies Step Up

2.1 Japan – Technology Leader with Policy Support

Japan holds 37% of global solid‑state patents. METI’s Battery Supply Security Plan approved five all‑solid‑state supply‑chain projects by Q1 2026, totalling ¥105.7 billion (≈$6.6 billion), with ~18% for solid electrolyte and lithium sulfide production. Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have pilot lines, with the goal of commercialising all‑solid‑state batteries around 2030, focusing on yield improvement and cost reduction in sulfide electrolytes. The Economic Security Promotion Act provides tax incentives and supply‑chain resilience measures.

2.2 South Korea – Strategic Drive to Accelerate Commercialisation

The 2030 Secondary Battery Industry Strategy and Vision Korea 2030 aim to speed up commercialisation and reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy allocated KRW 4.8 billion for new R&D on reference materials for next‑gen all‑solid‑state batteries. Samsung SDI plans to invest nearly KRW 16 trillion (≈$10.4 billion) in Ulsan over 2026‑2040, targeting mass production by 2026‑2029. Factorial Energy (a US‑Korean JV) received Korean government R&D grants in January 2026.

2.3 United States – Act‑Driven Localisation

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides tax credits (Section 45X: $35/kWh for cells) to boost domestic manufacturing. The DOE’s Battery500 Consortium pushes energy density towards 500 Wh/kg, while ARPA‑E continues funding transformational energy technologies. The US solid‑state battery market is estimated at $396 million in 2026, projected to reach $5.29 billion by 2034.

2.4 European Union – Standards Leadership and Self‑Sufficiency

The Critical Raw Materials Act and the Battery Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda prioritise solid‑state batteries to reduce third‑party dependence. The Battery 2030+ roadmap lists solid‑state as a key next‑gen technology. In June 2026, the European Parliament approved EV‑26 – the world’s first binding technical safety and recycling regulation for EV solid‑state batteries, including mandatory nail‑penetration testing. The new Battery Regulation sets minimum recycled content (cobalt, lithium, nickel) for industrial and EV batteries from August 2031. EU pilot lines for solid‑state batteries became operational in 2026.

3. Global Trends and Outlook

Japan leads in patents and commercialisation timelines; Korea and China are racing towards mass production; the US relies on capital and localisation incentives; the EU focuses on high‑end applications and standard‑setting. The simultaneous emergence of China’s GB/T and EU’s EV‑26 standards signals that the industry has moved from conceptual hype to a rules‑based, regulated phase. Unified standards will facilitate R&D, certification, and commercial deployment, fostering orderly competition. In the coming years, competition will intensify across technology routes, supply chains, standards, and market access – with the next few years being the critical window for determining global market leadership in next‑generation batteries.

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