Ganfeng Lithium has announced mass production of solid-state batteries
China’s largest lithium mining company has transformed itself into a battery manufacturer, and is now the very first company to announce mass production of revolutionary solid-state batteries.
On May 19, Ganfeng Lithium, the world’s largest lithium producer, made an important announcement: the company’s first generation solid-state battery has commenced mass production.
First unveiled in December 2021, Ganfeng Lithium’s solid-state battery uses an oxide electrolyte with a solid diaphragm. Traditionally, lithium-ion batteries move lithium ions from the anode to the cathode electrodes via the liquid electrolyte layer to produce electricity. This is where solid-state batteries have one crucial difference: as opposed to “liquid” batteries, the electrolyte layer is made of solid ceramic material, which should make the batteries safer and faster to charge and gives them a higher energy density. Solid-state batteries could also have a carbon footprint about 24% smaller than conventional batteries. Although they will use up to 35% more lithium than current lithium-ion batteries, they will use far less graphite and cobalt.
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Ganfeng Lithium’s first generation battery will have an energy density of 260 watt-hour per kilogram (Wh/kg), and the second generation will be able to reach an energy density of 400 Wh/kg. This is compared to the theoretical threshold of 350 Wh/kg for mainstream lithium-ion batteries that still power almost all electric vehicles (EVs) on the road today, although most of these batteries have an energy density of just over 200 Wh/kg.
In April 2023, CATL, China’s battery king, announced a new type of battery, the condensed battery, which the company claims can reach an energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg. But CATL has not yet commenced mass production of condensed batteries or solid-state batteries.
A range of Chinese and foreign companies have for years made pronouncements on solid-state batteries: Volkswagen and Nissan, for example, plan to launch mass production around 2025. Ganfeng Lithium is the very first company, however, to announce the commencement of mass production. The company claims that its solid-state battery is independently developed, including high-grade lithium sulfide raw materials for a flexible electrolyte membrane, making the battery more efficient and safe, as well as with a longer life cycle.
Over the last couple of years, Ganfeng Lithium was one of the companies leading a new trend of vertical integration in China’s lithium battery industry, in which electric battery companies are investing in raw materials, and raw material companies are producing batteries. As a raw material producer that transformed itself into a battery manufacturer, Ganfeng Lithium started construction of a 5.4 billion yuan ($758.61 million) solid-state battery production base in Chongqing in July 2022. At the same time, Ganfeng Lithium is continuing apace with lithium mining: In September 2022, the company announced a framework agreement with the city of Yichun, Jiangxi Province, for the construction of a new lithium battery manufacturing base with an annual output of 30 GWh.
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Links and sources:
- 赣锋锂业一代固态电池已开始量产，二代固态电池安全性能完全达到车规要求 / IT Home
- Lithium supplier Ganfeng unveils its first-gen solid-state battery / CnEVPost
- CATL unveils Condensed Battery for electric aircrafts and EVs / CnEVPost
- Could Chinese companies produce revolutionary solid state batteries by 2024? / The China Project
- Ganfeng Lithium’s global expansion continues / The China Project
- China’s lithium battery companies want to control the whole supply chain / The China Project
- “智子锁死”固态电池? / 36Kr
- 固态电池商业化脚步渐近 催生两大材料全新需求 / Yicai
