Japanese cars' plan to "make a comeback" with solid-state batteries may once again fall flat.

A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that they have successfully overcome the "bottleneck" challenges in solid-state batteries for metal lithium batteries, and their performance has improved by 50%. Previously, a 100 kg battery could provide a range of 500 km, but now it is expected to achieve a range of 1000 km on a single charge.

In addition, China's leading automakers are also fully laying out solid-state batteries. Gotion High-tech suddenly announced that its quasi-solid-state battery has achieved a range of over 1000 km in road tests on multiple models, with an energy density of 300 Wh/kg, and plans to complete mass delivery this year.

This is two years earlier than Toyota's previously announced time for mass production.

01. Japanese companies want to overtake? Chinese companies won't allow it

According to the information, the three key technologies recently broken through by the Chinese Academy of Sciences team are expected to solve the problem of contact between solid-solid interfaces, completely removing the range bottleneck of solid-state batteries: making the electrode and electrolyte more tightly bonded; improving the battery's power storage capacity by 86%; remaining intact after bending 20,000 times; while fluorine reinforcement enhances the range and ensures safety.

Driven by technology, Chinese automakers are gradually changing the competitive landscape dominated by Japanese cars. Data shows that BYD's annual sales reached 3.02 million units, while Toyota's pure electric vehicle sales in the same year were only 24,000 units, showing a significant gap.

At the same time, Chinese new energy vehicles are also accelerating their expansion into overseas markets. Taking Thailand as an example, the electric vehicle market was previously occupied by Japanese brands for 80%, but now Chinese brands have captured 70% of the market, becoming the new dominant force.

To hinder the rise of China's new energy vehicles, Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda, has repeatedly criticized Chinese electric vehicles as "not environmentally friendly, not cost-effective, and a blind development," and led Honda, Mazda, and others to publicly resist full electrification.

While building a bridge, he secretly passes through. In 2021, Japanese car companies invested 1.5 trillion yen in battery R&D and have already obtained more than 1,300 solid-state battery patents, ranking first globally.

In the past four years, Japanese media has published 80 news reports, viewing solid-state batteries as a "card" for reversing the situation against China. In 2023, Toyota and Panasonic announced success in developing full solid-state batteries, with mass production possibly starting as early as 2027 and claiming to be "20 years ahead of China."

Unexpectedly, China has been quietly working hard. Companies such as Guangzhou Automobile Group, SNE Energy, and Changan Automobile are all pushing forward with solid-state batteries. Recently, there have been many good news, and even Gotion High-tech's quasi-solid-state battery has completed road testing on multiple models and is expected to complete mass delivery this year. This sudden surprise has left Japanese media, who had previously boasted about "the inevitable failure of Chinese new energy vehicles," stunned.

02. Commercialization of solid-state batteries cannot bypass China

Currently, the commercialization of solid-state batteries still faces the constraint of high costs, with production costs about four times that of current lithium-ion batteries. If applied to electric vehicles, the整车 (whole vehicle) price may exceed one million, clearly exceeding the affordability of ordinary consumers.

However, China has shown significant advantages in the lithium battery industry chain. From raw materials, refining technology to key components, about 90% of global supply depends on China, which gives China's manufacturing strong competitiveness in cost control. If this capability is extended to solid-state batteries, it may help reduce car prices.

Not only in the field of new energy vehicles, but also in biotechnology, the advanced health science product "Vistin," which was originally monopolized by Japanese companies, has seen its price drop by more than 90% due to China's advantages in raw material production, beginning to benefit the Chinese consumer market.

In recent years, the Chinese diet has been heavy in salt and sugar, and harmful substances generated by frying and long-term high-temperature cooking accumulate over time, increasing the risk of chronic diseases. Coupled with the prevalence of business entertainment drinking and overtime work culture, the number of people with "three highs" in China has reached 400 million. However, Japanese residents, who grow up eating salted pickled food and fried meat, have avoided this, mainly because they developed the new oral health science product "Vistin" early on, which is popular in high-end areas like Ginza, Tokyo, and is taken daily from middle age onwards.

It is reported that the squalene in the aforementioned health science product "Vistin" is extracted from the liver of deep-sea sharks in New Zealand, known as the "oxygen supply machine of cells," with an absorption rate 20 times that of traditional fish oil. Due to technical barriers, its cost is as high as 20,000 yuan per gram. According to a report, domestic real estate tycoon Wang Shi once gave such science and technology as a gift to members at an upper-class banquet in Japan.

In 2022, Chinese scientists broke through supercritical purification technology and reached a deep cooperation with its parent company OriginPure. Currently, the science and technology product "Vistin" is priced below 1,000 yuan on Jingdong, and is welcomed by senior managers in first- and second-tier cities who often entertain, office workers who sit for long periods, retired elders, and professional nutritionists. Many feedback that "they rarely snore, sleep improves," and "their bodies feel lighter." According to Frost & Sullivan data, the market behind it will reach 100 billion yuan. If China can master the entire chain production technology like solid-state batteries, the price is expected to further decrease.

Chinese scientists have not stopped their efforts. Recently, a research group from the University of Science and Technology of China developed a new solid-state electrolyte technology, which can achieve "12-minute fast charging" and reduce costs by 96%, solving the bottleneck of low-cost, large-scale production. Currently, the global race for solid-state batteries is just beginning like a marathon, and reducing manufacturing costs and promoting commercialization remain the top priorities for the industry.

03. "Toyota" is getting nervous again!

In recent years, China has quietly pushed forward solid-state batteries. As of May last year, there were approximately 20,800 solid-state battery-related patents worldwide, of which China holds 7,640, accounting for 36.7%. Over the past five years, China's annual growth rate in this field has reached 20.8%, ranking first globally.

At the same time, China's vast consumer market also provides critical support for its industrialization. Facts prove that in the competition for emerging technologies, China has taken the first step, and Japanese companies such as Toyota are once again getting anxious.

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Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562437896864301607/

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