Mass Commissioning of 100-mt-Class All-Solid-State Battery Production Lines, 2027 Vehicle Installation Demonstration Becomes Industry Consensus [SMM Solid-State Battery Weekly Analysis]

SMM, July 16 –

Highlights: In the third week of July 2026 (July 10–16, 2026), the solid-state battery industry reached a critical inflection point—on the materials side, 100 mt-level sulphide material production lines are set for concentrated commissioning in Q3, moving the industry from “kilogram-level trading” to “tonne-level trading”; on the cell side, Zhongke Yuanben (342 Wh/kg) and Farasis Energy (500 Wh/kg) intensively launched new products; on the project side, a 550 million yuan final assembly base in Changzhou was signed and Chery’s 10 billion yuan R&D center was established; on the capital side, FAW signed agreements with 10 entities across the entire industry chain, and Heyuan Lithium Creation completed a Series A round of several hundred million yuan; outside China, Factorial and Weilan expanded into the drone and Eastern European energy storage markets, respectively. The first year of industrialization and verification for all-solid-state batteries has commenced, and demonstration vehicle integration by 2027 has become an industry consensus.

This week, the solid-state battery industry exhibited three key characteristics: intensive technology breakthroughs, accelerated capacity construction, and deeper international cooperation. Multiple companies intensively launched new battery cells and made progress on materials, and 100 mt-level production lines reached an inflection point for commissioning, with all-solid-state batteries shifting from “kilogram-level trading” to “tonne-level trading.”

I. Materials: Dual Advancement in Lithium Sulphide Cost Reduction and Capacity Scale-Up
The most critical industry signal on the materials side this week came from the sulphide route—100 mt-level production lines will be commissioned in Q3. SMM data shows that in H1 2026, actual procurement of lithium sulphide stood at only 37 mt, and sulphide electrolytes at just 49 mt, with the industry mainly focused on “line construction, commissioning, and sampling”; entering H2, multiple companies’ 100 mt+ production lines will be commissioned in Q3–Q4, moving the industry from “kilogram-level trading” to “tonne-level trading.”
Tinci’s 100 mt-level lithium sulphide and sulphide solid-state electrolyte pilot production line is expected to be commissioned in Q3 2026. It adopts an in-house liquid-phase method, achieving costs 30%–40% lower than the solid-phase method. Capchem has already achieved mass production and sales of oxide electrolytes and will commission kt-level capacity in 2026, with over 30 solid-state electrolyte patent applications filed. Shandong Maohua New Energy’s annual 1,000 mt solid-state battery electrolyte material project received EIA approval, including 500 mt each for the LLZO and LATP series. The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) released a “non-metal cation incorporation” technology that can significantly reduce the cost of sulphide solid-state electrolytes from $280/kWh. Industry analysis indicates that 70%–80% of the cost of sulphide solid-state electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries comes from lithium sulphide, which must drop from RMB 2–3 million/mt to RMB 300,000–500,000/mt in order for battery cell cost to fall from RMB 1.6/Wh to approximately RMB 0.7/Wh.
II. Battery Side: Intensive New Cell Launches and Continuous Energy Density Breakthroughs
On July 10, Zhongke Yuanben (Qingdao) released its first-generation 20–60 Ah automotive-grade sulphide all-solid-state battery samples, achieving a measured energy density of 342 Wh/kg. They use a high-nickel ternary cathode, sulphide electrolyte, and silicon-carbon composite anode, and sampling for verification has begun simultaneously.
Farasis Energy disclosed on July 14 that its second-generation sulphide all-solid-state battery had completed technology development, adopting a lithium-rich manganese-based/high-nickel ternary cathode and a lithium metal anode, featuring a thermal runaway self-shutoff function, with energy density boosted to 500Wh/kg.
Gotion High-tech disclosed on July 13 that its G Yuan solid-liquid hybrid battery had completed extreme summer and winter condition tests and nine national standard safety tests, and had reached mass production readiness. The 197Ah prismatic cell delivers an energy density of 300Wh/kg, system-level 235Wh/kg, and passed the 3mm steel nail penetration test without fire. The company's four overseas production bases in Germany, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand have successively started production.
Baima Lake Laboratory disclosed on July 13 the completion of a 20Ah boride all-solid-state battery cell trial production, with an energy density of 400Wh/kg, cycle life exceeding 2,000 cycles, hot box endurance at 180°C, and operating pressure reduced to below 5MPa, targeting three major application areas: low-altitude aircraft, embodied AI robots, and high-end 3C products.
Enpower Energy's 2GWh semi-solid-state battery advanced smart manufacturing base in Chuzhou, Anhui, has completed its capacity ramp-up to full production, taking less than three months from start-up to ramp-up completion, with battery cell yield rate boosted to 99.8%.
Wu Jianfei’s team at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, published a paper in ACS, proposing an EICN strategy and ASZ@Li anode, paired with a Ni90 high-nickel cathode, capable of completing charge and discharge in 72 seconds at 55°C. The Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, CAS, also made a breakthrough in dry electrode processing for sulphide all-solid-state batteries, using a polyamide (TPA) adhesive melt-bonding technique to solve the challenge of preparing ultra-thin sulphide electrolyte membranes.
III. Project Developments: Accelerated Layout Across Multiple Regions, Final Assembly Bases and R&D Centers Taking Shape
An all-solid-state battery intelligent manufacturing line final assembly base was signed and settled in the Tianning Economic Development Zone, Changzhou, on July 15, with a total investment of 550 million yuan. Originating from the team of the Institute of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, it masters the full-process dry manufacturing solution and the proprietary “in-situ laminated manufacturing” process. It has delivered solid-state battery pilot and mid-scale trial lines to top-tier players such as CATL, Sunwoda, and Dongfeng.
Chery’s solid-state battery R&D center was signed and landed in the Wuhu High-tech Zone on July 13, planning to build a global battery R&D center, a solid-state battery pilot line, and a 3,000-square-meter dedicated laboratory. Its self-developed battery cells have passed extreme tests such as “corner-cut + drilling”. The R&D team will expand to 1,200 people within two years, with cumulative special funding exceeding 10 billion yuan. On-road validation in designated operational vehicles is scheduled for 2026, with mass market launch in 2027.
SEVC POWER’s 0.1GWh all-solid-state battery intelligent manufacturing platform in Yibin is expected to be completed by year-end, as China’s first all-solid-state battery intelligent manufacturing pilot line, focusing on the sulphide route. De’er Co., Ltd.’s solid-state battery PACK pilot line has been completed, with the cell pilot line striving for completion by the end of September 2026. The rare earth lithium solid-state battery project of the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, CAS, has entered the main construction phase, with a total investment of 1.25 billion yuan.
IV. Financing and Cooperation: FAW Industry Chain Agreement Signed, He Yuan Li Chuang Completes Series A Financing
The FAW Co-chain Action Conference was held on July 12, where ten organizations — Jilin University, Kefa High Voltage, China Minmetals New Energy, Guolian Core Materials, China FAW, China Automotive New Energy, China Salt Lake, Taifeng Pioneer, Shenzhen Guyan, and North Star Recycling — completed the signing of a solid-state battery entire industry chain cooperation agreement.
Heyuan Lithium Creation (founded by Liu Min, former head of Dongfeng’s solid-state battery business, with an oxide-based route) completed a Series A financing round of several hundred million yuan on July 15, led by Xiaomi Yangtze River Fund and joined by China Insurance Fund, Chengdu Sci-tech Innovation Investment, and Yangtze Green Water Fund. The Xiantao factory has already rolled out the first battery cell from the first production line in central China, with cumulative deliveries exceeding 1 million solid-state battery cells. It plans to achieve an energy density of 550-600 Wh/kg, supported by the mass production of silicon carbon anode materials.
Jinyu New Energy signed a strategic agreement with Dingxi Zhichuang, an AI materials R&D platform incubated by Peking University, to drive solid-state battery R&D from "trial-and-error" to "intelligent design". Guoxiang Century New Energy and China Energy Engineering East China Company reached a partnership to jointly build east China's first independent shared energy storage demonstration station using solid-state battery technology.
V. Overseas Progress: Samsung SDI’s Trillion-Won Investment, Factorial’s Drone Collaboration, and WELION’s Eastern Europe ESS
Samsung SDI disclosed its investment plan on July 3, under which it will invest a total of 25 trillion won (approximately 110.075 billion yuan) at its Ulsan and Cheonan bases, with an implementation period of up to 14 years. The Ulsan plant will build mass production lines for all-solid-state batteries, LFP batteries for energy storage, and sodium-ion batteries, while Cheonan will serve as a global mother factory and R&D hub.
Factorial Energy (US) reached a strategic partnership on July 13 with the Netherlands-based Tulip Tech Group to promote the commercial application of solid-state and lithium metal batteries in drones. The company had previously completed flight tests, achieving over a 30% improvement in driving range.
WELION New Energy signed a strategic cooperation agreement on July 14 with HOSTIX Zso of Romania, centering on the SPower II (522 kWh) ESS. It plans to advance approximately 50 MWh of energy storage projects in western Romania over the next two years. During the same period, at Intersolar Europe in Munich, WELION signed a collaboration with CESC to jointly develop ESS products for industrial and commercial ESS, power generation and grid-side ESS, and AIDC.
VI. Industry Voices: The Inaugural Year of Industrialisation Verification Begins, with 2027 Demonstration Vehicle Loading Becoming Industry Consensus
On July 14, Academician Sun Xueliang delivered a report titled “Latest Advances and Challenges of New-Type Halide-Based All-Solid-State Batteries,” systematically reviewing the R&D trajectory of halide-based all-solid-state batteries.
Summary: This week, the solid-state battery industry accelerated across all fronts – from materials (cost reduction of lithium sulphide + hundred-mt-level production launch), to battery cells (intensive new product releases at 342-500 Wh/kg), projects (final assembly bases and pilot lines landing in multiple regions), and capital (FAW industry chain signing + Heyuan Lithium Creation’s financing), and extending overseas (Samsung SDI’s trillion-won investment + Factorial/WELION international collaborations). The 2027 demonstration vehicle loading has become an industry consensus.

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