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Chinese carmaker Chery banks on battery technology to rev up transition to EVs, eyeing Gotion’s solid-state type
- State-owned company plans to be first to use Gotion High-Tech’s solid-state batteries when they start mass production, chairman says
- Chery’s sales of EVs jumped 165 per cent year on year in the first four months, but still account for less than 5 per cent of total output
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Daniel Renin Shanghai
Chery Automobile, a Chinese state-owned carmaker that ships half of its total output overseas, is keen on adopting solid-state batteries to differentiate its products and accelerate its transition from petrol vehicles to electric cars.
The company plans to be the first to use electric vehicle (EV) battery producer Gotion High-Tech’s solid-state batteries when they start mass production, chairman Yin Tongyue told a conference in Hefei, capital of east China’s Anhui province, on Friday.
“To drive technological innovations in the automotive industry, Chery hopes to be the first assembler to power electric cars with Gotion’s solid-state batteries,” he said.
His statement added to evidence that Chery is focusing on battery technology as a driver for the growth of its EV segment. The carmaker, based in Wuhu, Anhui, is targeting annual sales of 1 million EVs, Yin said.
In April 2023, Contemporary Amperex Technology or CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, based in China’s eastern Fujian province, announced that Chery had become the first customer for its sodium-ion batteries. However, CATL has yet to begin production and delivery of those batteries.
Solid-state batteries are deemed to be a better option for EVs than batteries based on liquid electrolytes – including sodium-ion batteries and current lithium-ion and lithium-polymer batteries – because they are safer, more reliable and more efficient. The technology promises longer driving range, but requires higher development and production costs.
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