Dongfeng subsidiary Voyah is working on solid-state batteries

The Dongfeng subsidiary Voyah has started developing new solid-state batteries. The third-generation battery from Voyah is to maintain an energy density of 300 Wh/kg compared to the second generation, but will be able to be charged faster - namely at 5C instead of 3C.

This was reported by the CN EV Post portal, citing the local medium Cailian. According to the report, the Dongfeng subsidiary Voyah is working on a 5C solid-state battery without providing further details. The ‘C’ is an indicator of the ratio of battery size to charging capacity. At 1C, an 80 kWh battery can be charged with a maximum of 80 kW. At 5C, the same battery can theoretically be charged with six times the charging power, up to 400 kW. Of course, this is just one example. It is not known how large the new solid-state battery from Voyah will be.

Voyah is an NEV (New Energy Vehicles) brand that was launched by state-owned car manufacturer Dongfeng in 2020. The electric debut model Voyah Free has since been followed by the Dream van, the Zhuiguang saloon and the brand new Zhiyin SUV. As CN EV Post writes, Voyah already relied on semi-solid batteries for the Dream before the company presented its ‘Amber’ battery – an NMC battery with liquid electrolyte – with an energy density of 212 Wh/kg and a range of 900 kilometres, according to the Chinese test cycle last year. We were previously unaware of a second-generation solid-state battery with 300 Wh/kg and a 3C charge rate, which Chinese media now reported as a preliminary development stage.

However, it has been known for some time that Dongfeng is flirting with solid-state batteries. Battery specialist Ganfeng LiEnergy equipped the first Dongfeng vehicles with solid-state batteries on a trial basis as early as 2022. At the time, there was talk of 50 Dongfeng E70 electric cars that were put into demonstration operation in Xinyu with the innovative batteries on board.

Independently of this, Dongfeng is rumoured to be merging with the state-owned manufacturer Changan in the near future. Both OEMs announced their respective reorganisation at the same time this month, triggering speculation about a possible merger. A potential new automotive group based on the two companies could become the fifth largest in the world.

cnevpost.com