CATL's chairman has once again expressed skepticism.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum's Summer Davos in Dalian on June 23, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.,Ltd. (CATL) Chairman Robin Zeng gave his assessment of the solid-state battery industry's progress: on a scale of 1 to 9, where 9 signifies readiness for mass production, the current industry-wide level is only at 4.
Zeng believes it is highly unlikely that fully solid-state batteries will be installed in a million vehicles before 2030.
This is not the first time he has made such comments. At the company's 2024 earnings conference, he stated commercialization was "still far away," and in 2025, he directly criticized automakers for "misleading the public."
However, industry enthusiasm for solid-state batteries remains high. Even as Zeng repeatedly tempers expectations, Toyota announced in October 2025 that it would start a solid-state battery production line in 2026, and Samsung SDI is nearing the start of production at its new plant in Shizuoka. Domestically, companies including BYD, GAC, Chery, SAIC, CALB, Gotion High-tech, and Changan are all advancing their solid-state battery plans, with pilot production lines starting up, product launches announced, and mass production schedules being set.
Everyone is racing ahead. Yet the person pouring the most cold water holds the world's largest number of solid-state battery patents.
What does a score of 4 mean? On the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale, level 4 signifies that a laboratory proof-of-concept has just been completed. The cell can function under controlled conditions, but it is still five levels away from engineering development and mass production. The gap includes stages like engineering validation, pilot-scale amplification, and production line finalization, each requiring at least one to two years.
The current bottleneck lies primarily at the solid-solid interface. In liquid electrolyte batteries, the electrolyte can permeate every gap between the cathode and anode, allowing for naturally smooth ion conduction. When switching to a solid electrolyte, two solid materials are pressed together. Misalignment in packing density and structural dislocation under high pressure can lead to increased internal resistance and accelerated cell degradation. Zeng himself stated in 2024 that this interface issue is the most challenging problem.
For now, the industrial progress of solid-state batteries is still accelerating.
A research report from CITIC Securities on June 2, 2026, pointed out that the industrialization of solid-state batteries is accelerating. Semi-solid-state batteries are already being used in consumer electronics and energy storage, with volume adoption in the power sector expected in the second half of 2026. Fully solid-state batteries are expected to begin vehicle road testing.
CATL is also pushing forward with solid-state battery development. Zeng has stated, "I fully support solid-state batteries, having invested in them for ten years," and that his team is "not behind anyone." The company's sulfide-based all-solid-state cells have achieved an energy density of 500 Wh/kg, supporting a 15-minute fast charge to 80%. Chief Scientist Wu Kai provided a clear timeline in April 2024: aiming for a TRL of 7-8 by 2027 for small-batch production, with a planned capacity of 5 GWh. A research team of nearly a thousand people is working on it, and the company ranks first globally in solid-state battery patents.
While Zeng consistently raises the bar for mass production in public, internal investment has not slowed down one bit.
Other players are also taking concrete actions, not just talking.
Toyota has bet on solid-state batteries for over two decades. Idemitsu Kosan's lithium sulfide production facility was completed in 2025, and its 2026 mass production plan received subsidy certification from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Samsung SDI's Shizuoka plant, also starting production in 2026, has an initial capacity of 0.5 GWh, with Lexus as its first customer. They have facilities, production lines, and customers lined up.
Domestic manufacturers have even tighter schedules. BYD's sulfide pilot line in Pingshan has passed automotive-grade validation, with a 20 GWh mass production line in Bishan, Chongqing, starting construction in the third quarter. GAC plans to install its 400 Wh/kg all-solid-state cells in Hyper models. Chery launched its Rhino S battery in March 2026, claiming an energy density of 600 Wh/kg. CALB has developed all-solid-state batteries with over 450 Wh/kg, planning to deliver thousands of units for robotics in the fourth quarter.
Gotion High-tech also announced in May 2026 that its Jinshi all-solid-state battery energy density had exceeded 400 Wh/kg, while construction of a 2 GWh production line for the Jinshi battery was progressing in an orderly manner. Changan, in partnership with Taian New Energy, is promoting a separator-free solid-state battery, with small-batch production planned for 2026 and a 50 GWh base planned in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area.
But what exactly does "mass production" refer to?
Semi-solid-state and all-solid-state are two different things. Semi-solid-state retains some liquid electrolyte, making the technological barrier much lower and industrialization much faster. WeLion New Energy has been supplying semi-solid-state cells to NIO since the end of 2023, proving the viability of that route. However, many companies announcing "solid-state battery mass production" are actually referring to semi-solid-state products, which are not at all the same as the "all-solid-state, level 9" batteries Zeng discusses. This is currently the biggest point of conceptual confusion.
Brokerage forecasts are also inconsistent. A deep-dive report from Soochow Securities on April 8, 2026, estimated China's all-solid-state battery shipments would reach 100 GWh by 2030, with a market size of 150 billion yuan at 1.5 yuan/Wh. A research report from China Securities in the same month projected global demand for solid-state batteries (including semi-solid-state) at 212 GWh by 2030. These differing scopes indicate the industry is far from reaching a consensus on "when they will arrive and in what form."
Nevertheless, the industrial trend appears irreversible, with billions already invested in dozens of pilot and mass production lines. Zeng continues to pour cold water, but the industry continues to push forward at full speed.
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