MG plans EV with solid-state battery for 2025

According to a SAIC manager, the solid-state batteries developed in-house will be used in an MG brand model as early as 2025. However, this will be a premium model, built in small quantities.

Yu Jingmin, Deputy General Manager of SAIC Passenger Vehicle, announced in a media interview that the vehicle with the solid-state battery developed by SAIC will launch in the second quarter of 2025. However, he did not yet specify which model it will be. CarNewsChina speculates that it will be the Cyber GTS – a two-door sports car unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the summer.

In May, SAIC announced the production of pure solid-state batteries for 2026 – with an energy density of over 400 Wh/kg. At the time, the carmaker said these batteries would initially be used in models of its IM Motors brand from 2027. Considering the latest statements from Yu Jingmin, that no longer holds.

With solid-state batteries, it is important to differentiate between semi-solid-state cells with semi-solid electrolyte and all-solid-state cells—only the latter have a completely solid electrolyte and offer the full advantages of this technology. That includes lower volume and weight, which increases the energy density in the same installation space. In addition, the battery’s service life can be longer, and solid electrolytes cannot leak in the event of an accident and are not flammable, which increases safety. However, many companies working on the technology have not yet grasped one major disadvantage: the significantly higher costs compared to batteries with liquid electrolyte.

In the interview, SAIC manager Yu Jingmin is also said to have spoken about the upcoming premiere of the MG S5 in November, which will follow the ZS EV as a compact SUV. The S5 EV will use LFP cells, which MG obtains from a joint venture between the parent company SAIC and the Chinese battery market leader CATL. “It will not be possible to fit a solid-state battery in such a model for a long time,” Yu Jingmin said.

There are no statements about technological progress in the development or production of solid-state cells in the reports on the interview. It is thus unclear exactly how SAIC intends to design and manufacture its solid-state cells. What is clear, however, is that solid-state battery technology has become the focus of Chinese policy: the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform (CASIP) consortium founded in January aims to develop and produce competitive solid-state batteries and establish a supply chain by 2030. The Chinese government is the initiator of the alliance.

carnewschina.com