Solid-state batteries

After announcing a new three-year collaboration with Nissan to advance low-cost, solid-state EV batteries, Gelion’s tech may be the secret to leveling the playing field with China.

The next generation of EV batteries may be closer than expected. BYD and several others plan to begin deploying EVs with all-solid-state batteries in just a few months.

On today’s momentous episode of Quick Charge, we are all about momentum, with solid-state EV batteries gaining ground in China as wind and solar continuing to grow in the US while Tesla’s self-driving Robotaxi fleet, well – doesn’t.

After becoming the first to commercialize solid-state batteries, ProLogium announced it will become a publicly listed company through a business merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).

SAIC launched its first electric SUV powered by a semi-solid-state EV battery in China, starting at under $15,000.

Chinese lithium metal giant Ganfeng Lithium has begun producing what it calls the world’s first 10 Ah solid-state batteries with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg. The lithium giant has supply deals with Tesla, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and several other major OEMs for key EV battery materials.

SAIC opened pre-orders in China for the new MG 4X, an electric SUV with a semi-solid-state EV battery, priced under $15,000. The new battery tech is set to launch in Europe by the end of 2026.

For years, “next-gen battery tech” in the e-bike world (and the EV world in general) has mostly been a promise. Solid-state batteries were always just around the corner, hyped in EV headlines but nowhere to be found on actual bikes you could buy.

That may finally be changing.

After launching the first mass-produced EV with a semi-solid-state battery last year, SAIC Motor is following it up with the new MG 4X electric SUV. The new EV will go on sale in less than a week.

San Diego, California-based electric bicycle maker Ride1Up has just carved out a place for itself in the history books, announcing today the world’s first electric bicycle with a semi-solid state battery, the Ride1Up Revv1 EVO. It could be one of the most important technological shifts we’ve seen in e-bikes in years.

The new battery touts many major advantages, from safety to longevity with a 10-year lifespan. And unlike some other major solid state battery news that is increasingly starting to look more like fluff than substance, Ride1Up is actually positioned to deliver.

During a briefing on Monday, Nissan revealed it had achieved a new milestone as it aims to launch its first vehicles powered by all-solid-state EV batteries by 2028.

Donut Lab’s miraculous solid state battery, promising energy density, charging and durability numbers unseen by the industry, has been subject to a criminal complaint in Finland from an insider who says it doesn’t live up to the public promises Donut Lab has made.

But the company says that the insider didn’t work on the battery project, and denies any fraudulent behavior.

Late last year, I had the chance to check out the world’s first semi-solid-state batteries designed for electric bicycles. At EICMA 2025, I visited T&D, an electric mobility company that was spun out of e-bike component maker Bafang (and founded by the same co-founder of Bafang, Sunny He). There I saw the first production-destined semi-solid-state e-bike batteries.

At the time, it was a big secret which company would be the first to put them into e-bikes and get those new batteries on the road. But now we’ve finally learned who will claim the title: Giant.

Solid-state EV batteries have entered a “critical stage,” BYD’s chief scientist, Lian Yubo, said during a seminar this week.

Semi-solid-state batteries are already expanding from the first passenger EVs to new segments, including flying cars and light trucks.

After introducing the first mass-produced EV with a semi-solid-state battery, MG Motor said it will bring the new battery tech to Europe by the end of 2026. In China, the new MG4 with a semi-solid-state battery starts at under $15,000. Although not that cheap, the new EV is expected to remain affordable in Europe.

Solid-state batteries are called the “holy grail” of EV battery tech for a reason, right? The new battery tech is quickly moving from the lab to the real world, with some claiming to unlock over 800 miles of driving range.

CATL filed an international patent, detailing how its solid-state battery cell and electrolyte material can help overcome one of the biggest challenges in bringing the new tech to market.

ION Storage Systems says it has hit a key milestone in bringing solid-state batteries out of the lab and into real-world use.

Another major Japanese automaker is jumping into the race for the “holy grail” of EV batteries after buying out an all-solid-state battery business.

On today’s extraordinary episode of Quick Charge, we reflect on the fact that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and both Donut Labs AND Tesla are a long long way from turning everyone into believers.