A Sunwoda solid-state battery cell on display at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2025. Credit: CnEVPost.
- China has prioritized breakthroughs in all-solid-state technologies to accelerate the roll-out of next-generation batteries.
- The plan also calls for improving sodium battery performance and supporting corporate mergers and restructuring.
China aims to achieve initial large-scale use of all-solid-state batteries by 2030, accelerating the transition of next-generation battery technology from research to commercialization.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Monday released its new battery industry development plan for the fifteenth five-year period, setting a roadmap for 2026 through 2030.
The document, dated September 14, was jointly issued by 7 government agencies, including MIIT, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Transport.
The plan calls for steady growth in China’s new battery industry through 2030, alongside breakthroughs in advanced electrode materials, new electrolytes and high-end auxiliary materials.
Beyond the all-solid-state battery deployment target, it sets goals for long-life lithium batteries to reach 15,000 charge-discharge cycles and for leading manufacturers to achieve product defect rates at the parts-per-billion (PPB) level.
All-solid-state batteries are a key technological priority. The document calls for faster breakthroughs in commercialization technologies, focusing on improving ionic conductivity and cycling stability while optimizing costs.
Specific measures include improving interfacial contact, extending cycle life, advancing pressure-system engineering and scaling up production of high-performance solid electrolytes.
The plan also calls for combining high-voltage, high-capacity cathode materials with new lithium-metal-based anodes and anode-free designs, while developing manufacturing equipment such as isostatic presses for solid-state batteries.
China plans to build a supply system centered on lithium batteries, complemented by sodium and flow batteries, while strengthening its ability to commercialize all-solid-state and ultrafast-charging batteries.
For sodium batteries, the document emphasizes cost, safety and resource availability advantages, calling for the development of cold-resistant, high-energy-density power batteries and energy storage batteries with long cycle lives.
Industry consolidation and supply chain security are another focus. The document supports corporate mergers and restructuring and calls for faster exploration and development of domestic lithium, cobalt and other mineral resources.
On recycling, the plan requires companies to establish used-battery collection systems aligned with their sales volumes. It also encourages them to build recycling capacity in major export markets where conditions permit.
The document proposes a digital identity management system for products including new energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries, exploring internationally accepted battery passport arrangements and promoting mutual recognition of carbon footprint data.
The battery plan follows China’s September 11 release of its fifteenth five-year development plan for the intelligent connected NEV industry, which targets a 70% share for NEVs in domestic new passenger vehicle sales by 2030.
The earlier automotive plan also called for tighter management of power battery production capacity. The latest battery plan further defines priorities for technology development, manufacturing upgrades and broader applications.
CATL’s chairman said solid-state batteries must still clear three main hurdles before mass production.
