Mainland China’s battery and carmakers have come together to join a government-led initiative that aims to commercialize all solid-state batteries while maintaining its hegemony on the EV battery industry, according to a news report published by the Nikkei Asia on Feb. 12.
In January, Beijing set up a consortium, the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform, which aims to bring together government, academia and industry, including EV battery rivals CATL and BYD to build a supply chain for solid-state batteries by 2030.
The report said that mainland China is stepping up research and development of the next-generation batteries, leveraging artificial intelligence and other technologies.
Citing Ouyang Minggao, a Tsinghua University professor, the report said, “We need to be prepared for the risk that all-solid-state battery technology could overturn China's advantage in automotive batteries.”
Reportedly, the consortium aims to work on fundamental research, key technologies, and joint development and manufacturing of EVs equipped with solid-state batteries, in addition to setting up a potent supply chain.
According to the report, six of the top 10 largest battery makers are participating in the alliance, including CATL, BYD subsidiary FinDreams Battery, CALB, EVE Energy and Gotion High-tech. Among the automakers taking part in the CASIP, several state-owned carmakers as well as BYD and Nio are participating, it said.
It further added that the government members of the consortium include the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, which manages state-owned enterprises, and the National Energy Administration.
