CATL chief: solid-state batteries at ‘level 4 of 9,’ no leap until 2030
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- CATL chairman Robin Zeng Yuqun told the World Economic Forum's 'Summer Davos' in Dalian that solid-state battery technology has reached only 'level four' on a nine-step readiness scale, with mass production unlikely before 2030 and commercial success 'remains to be seen'
- CATL, which controls roughly 40% of the global EV battery market, is itself targeting small-scale all-solid-state production by 2027 with planned capacity of just 5 GWh — a gap between 'small-batch' and mass production that Zeng's timeline explicitly highlights
- Semi-solid batteries are already shipping in China — Nio began 150 kWh packs from partner WeLion in April 2024, and SAIC's MG4 hit 100,000 units in eight months — but China's draft national standard classifies them as 'mixed liquid-solid,' not true solid-state
- CATL chief scientist Wu Kai previously outlined a goal of reaching 'level seven to eight' by 2027, and the company has begun pilot production of solid-state cells at 500 Wh/kg — roughly double the energy density of today's best liquid-electrolyte packs
- Toyota, BYD, Volkswagen, and Nio are all clustered around 2027 for all-solid-state launches, but Toyota's early output is expected to total tens of thousands of vehicles reserved for flagship Lexus models rather than a mainstream rollout
- Zeng has said the odds of solid-state batteries reaching million-vehicle-level installations before 2030 are 'very small,' requiring the technology, the product, and the commercial case to clear simultaneously
Why it matters: CATL, which controls roughly 40% of the global EV battery market, is publicly tempering the industry's 2027 solid-state hype while racing toward the same window — protecting its current LFP and sodium-ion revenue streams and market share from being reset by a technology leap before its own 5 GWh solid-state pilot line for 2027 is ready.
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