Autobayng News Team
- China’s Dongfeng Automobile is working on solid-state EVs capable of driving over 600 miles on a charge.
- The first model to feature the liquid-less battery is expected to go on sale less than a year from now.
- According to the automaker, the solid-state battery has been successfully tested at temperatures as low as -22°F and as high as 266°F.
Solid-state batteries seem to be in a perpetual “coming soon” state, promising more driving range, higher safety and faster charging speeds for the better part of the last decade. Next year, however, is shaping up to be the year of solid-state batteries in electric cars.
Semi-solid-state EVs are already on sale in some parts of the world, but true SSBs are still under development. Not for much longer, though, as multiple automakers are racing to bring them to the market. Stellantis and Factorial said that a demonstration fleet of solid-state-powered Dodge Charger Daytona EVs will hit the road next year.
But now China’s Dongfeng has upped the ante. It’s the latest Chinese carmaker to say solid-state is coming sooner than expected.
The automaker said that its first production EV powered by a new generation of solid-state batteries will hit the road next September. That’s less than 12 months away, and even though American car shoppers are extremely unlikely to ever get their hands on a Dongfeng in the United States, technology tends to migrate over time, so it shouldn’t be long before companies stateside start fitting SSBs in their EVs.
Dongfeng’s new battery has a stated energy density of 350 watt-hours/kilogram, whereas Stellantis’ upcoming pack is touted as offering 375 Wh/kg. In other words, not the best in terms of energy density, but not too shabby either.
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Using a multi-component layout with a high-capacity ternary cathode, a silicon-carbon anode and an oxide polymer composite solid electrolyte, Dongfeng’s upcoming solid-state battery will reportedly be capable of delivering over 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) of range on a full charge when fitted to the automaker’s next wave of EVs, according to CarNewsChina.
Admittedly, that’s on China’s lenient CLTC testing cycle, but even on the more stringent EPA test, we could be looking at over 400 miles of range on a full charge. Dongfeng also claims it has tested its liquid-less battery at temperatures as low as -22°F (-30°C), where it retained over 72% of its capacity, and as high as 266°F (130°C).
The company didn’t say how fast the new battery would charge, but it did mention that it’s working on a 1,200-volt architecture that enables 2-megawatt (2,000 kilowatts) charging thanks to a 1,700 V silicon-carbide power module that was developed in-house. With such a high input, the Mach Super-kV Pure-Electric Platform (try saying that three times in a row) is said to replenish the battery at a rate of roughly 1.5 miles (2.5 km) per second, or 280 miles (450 km) in five minutes.
As with any and all solid-state battery claims, we’ll believe it when it’s on the roads. But there’s no doubt that China’s ahead on battery tech, so it’s certainly not implausible. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Insideevs.com? – The InsideEVs team
