In the first quarter, seven solid-state battery companies received financing and semi-solid batteries are expected to get on board this year.

At present, with the rapid expansion of many demand markets, such as new energy vehicles, energy storage, power tools, electric two-wheelers, drones, smart homes, smart wear and so on, in addition to stable supply capacity, sustainable technological innovation is also the key for enterprises to maintain competitiveness.

Recently, Lin Nianxiu, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, pointed out in a public speech that it is necessary to consolidate the technological and industrial advantages of lithium-ion batteries and speed up the development of new battery technologies such as sodium ions, solid-state batteries and fuel cells. promote the diversification of battery technology and materials.

A new round of technology competition for battery companies has begun, and the research and application of solid-state batteries are also accelerating. Ouyang Minggao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that 2025 is a critical period for the transition from liquid batteries to solid-state batteries. According to Ouyang Minggao, the goal of power battery industrialization in China is: by 2025, the single energy density of liquid system battery will reach 350 Whhand kg; in 2030, the energy density of solid-liquid mixed system battery for the transition from liquid battery to solid-state battery will be 400 Whshock kg; in 2035, the energy density of quasi-solid / all-solid system battery will reach 500Wh/kg.

Guohai Securities expects that global solid-state battery shipments will grow rapidly from 2021 to 2030, and may break through 250GWh by 2030, and the market space is expected to reach more than 150 billion yuan. Solid-state batteries are expected to enjoy an extraordinary valuation premium in the development and application of liquid batteries to all-solid-state batteries.

EVTank, a research firm, predicts more optimism: shipments of solid-state batteries worldwide may reach 276.8GWh in 2030, with overall permeability expected to remain around 10 per cent. According to the White Paper on the Development of China Lithium Ion Battery Industry (2022) jointly issued by EVTank, Ivy Economic Research Institute and China Battery Industry Research Institute, it is predicted that the compound growth rate of global lithium ion battery shipments will reach 25.6% by 2030, and the total shipments will be close to 5TWh by 2030, but the technology of lithium ion batteries is not yet mature and the next generation battery technology, including solid state batteries, will continue to emerge one after another. High energy density, high safety, low cost and long cycle are still important directions in the research and development of lithium-ion batteries.

While the organization is optimistic about the solid-state battery field, solid-state battery-related companies are also favored by investors. according to incomplete statistics from Battery Network, seven domestic and foreign solid-state battery manufacturers have received new investment since 2022:

On March 24th, Weilan new energy industry and commerce changed, Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Fund Partnership (limited partnership), Huawei affiliated company Shenzhen Hubble Technology Investment Partnership (limited partnership), Ningbo Geely Blue Plan Enterprise Management Partnership and other shareholders were added, and the company's registered capital increased from 58.0368 million yuan to 61.3673 million yuan. It is reported that Weilan New Energy is headquartered in Beijing and now has four major industrial bases: Fangshan in Beijing, Liyang in Jiangsu, Huzhou in Zhejiang and Zibo in Shandong. On February 25th, Weilan New Energy 100GWh solid-state lithium battery project started construction in Shandong Zibo High-tech Zone, with a total investment of 40 billion yuan. Among them, the first phase invests 10.2 billion yuan and covers an area of 550mu, producing mixed solid-liquid electrolyte battery and all-solid-state battery 20GWh annually. The project was signed, built and put into production in the same year.

On March 14, High Energy era announced that it had completed financing of more than 50 million yuan in the near future. This round of financing is led by Tongchuang Weiye, and the investors also include CICC Phoenix Fund, Xin Wanda, Zhuhai High-tech Venture Capital and other institutions. The financing will be mainly used to accelerate the product layout, technology research and development, and talent introduction of all-solid-state batteries in the high-energy era.

On March 8, according to the news released by country Garden Venture Capital, recently, Tailan New Energy announced the completion of A+ round financing, which was invested exclusively by country Garden Venture Capital. This round of financing will be used for production line construction, product research and development and talent building. At present, Tailan New Energy is building a new generation of 200MWh high specific energy solid-state lithium battery automation production line in Liangjiang New area of Chongqing, which is expected to be officially completed and put into production in September 2022.

On February 10, Enli Power announced that the company had completed round A financing of more than 100 million yuan in January. This round of financing is led by low-light venture capital, followed by Bolun Capital, Yuan Nuo Tiancheng, Green Capital and potential capital. It is reported that in 2022, Enli Power will devote itself to the trial production of soft package batteries with a single cell capacity of more than 10Ah (10000mAh), which will further improve the energy density of Enli batteries without changing the design of the internal materials of the battery.

On February 4th, SES announced that its Class A common shares and warrants would begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on the same day. SES launched a $275 million PIPE offering at $10.00 a share on Feb. 3, with investors including Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, Geely Holdings, Kia and SAIC.

Mercedes-Benz has signed a technical cooperation agreement with Taiwan solid-state battery company Huineng Technology to jointly develop next-generation batteries, with an investment of millions of euros, according to Daimler's official website. The first model with a new solid-state battery is expected to be launched in the next few years and in a range of passenger cars over the next five years. According to foreign media reports, Vincent Yang, CEO of Huineng Technology, revealed in an interview that Huineng Technology is considering listing in the United States or Europe, and may have another round of financing before IPO.

Factorial Energy, a US solid-state battery start-up, announced that it had raised $200m in financing from D-round, led by Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. After obtaining this round of financing, the company tried to commercialize it.

In addition to the above newly financed companies, as well as solid-state battery companies such as QuantumScape, Bollore, Sakti3, 24m and Qingtao Energy, power battery companies such as Ningde Times, BYD, LG New Energy, SKOn, Samsung SDI, Panasonic, Guoxuan Hi-Tech, Ganfeng Lithium Power, Funeng Technology and Honeycomb Energy also have a layout in the solid-state battery sector.

Generally speaking, semi-solid battery can take into account the performance advantages of liquid battery and all-solid battery, can maximize compatibility with existing processes, equipment and materials, and can make semi-solid battery mass production at a relatively low cost. According to the trend of car companies such as Xilai and Dongfeng, semi-solid batteries are expected to get on board by the end of the year. However, there are still many problems to be solved in the commercialization and mass production of all-solid-state batteries, and it is expected that it will take 5-10 years to achieve commercialization.