The semi-solid-state battery has an energy density of 360Wh/kg, much higher than the 210Wh/kg of conventional ternary lithium batteries, according to a Gotion executive.

Gotion High-tech's ternary lithium semi-solid-state batteries with an energy density of 360Wh/kg will be in mass production this year, the Volkswagen-backed Chinese power battery giant said today.

The company held its 11th technology conference today, at which the plan was revealed by Zhang Hongli, vice president of its engineering research institute.

In addition to the 360Wh/kg product, Gotion has already built prototype samples of a semi-solid-state battery with an energy density of 400Wh/kg in the lab, according to Zhang.

(Zhang Hongli, vice president of Gotion engineering research institute, spoke at the company's 11th technology conference.)

Current lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries can reach an energy density of about 160Wh/kg, while ternary lithium batteries can reach 210Wh/kg, Zhang said, adding that Gotion's 360Wh/kg semi-solid-state battery has a greater advantage in energy density.

Gotion and Volkswagen have jointly developed the first generation of ternary lithium and LFP standard cells for mass production, and are currently working with Volkswagen's German team to develop cells for Europe, Zhang said.

Nio (NYSE: NIO, HKG: 9866, SGX: Nio) brought solid-state batteries into the discussion when it unveiled its flagship sedan, the Nio ET7, at the Nio Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021, saying the model will have a 150-kWh battery available in the future, giving it an NEDC range of 1,000 kilometers.

Speaking at a forum at the 2021 World Manufacturing Congress on November 20 last year, Gotion Chairman Li Zhen said that the company's semi-solid-state battery, which it will supply to a local manufacturer of high-end pure electric vehicles, achieves a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.

Although Li did not directly name the carmaker, the similarities between these descriptions and Nio's situation once sparked much speculation that Gotion was Nio's semi-solid-state battery supplier.

On March 27, Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology confirmed that it is Nio's semi-solid-state battery supplier.

WeLion is working with Nio on a plan to launch a hybrid solid-liquid electrolyte battery with a range of 1,000 kilometers on a single charge based on the ET7 model, the solid-state battery supplier's chief scientist and founder Li Hong said at the time.

The pack, which has a capacity of 150 kWh and an energy density of 360 Wh/kg, is expected to start mass production by the end of this year or the first half of next year, WeLion's Li said.

Nio has so far not officially announced its supplier for the 150-kWh pack, and it's not clear whether the battery will be supplied exclusively by WeLion or by multiple suppliers.

Gotion is one of China's largest power battery makers, ranking fourth with 0.7 GWh installed in April and a 5.31 percent market share, according to data released by the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance on May 11.

CATL ranked first with an installed base of 5.08 GWh and a 38.3 percent market share in April.