The Seres 5 will be powered by a ternary solid-liquid hybrid lithium battery from Ganfeng Lithium, with a 90-kWh version expected to offer a 530 km WLTP range.

(Image credit: Ganfeng)

This year could see a number of electric vehicle (EV) makers start equipping their models with semi-solid-state batteries, as this new battery technology has gained more attention in the past two years.

Chongqing-based EV brand Seres will launch a new Seres 5 SUV in 2023 with a ternary solid-liquid hybrid lithium battery from the battery unit of lithium giant Ganfeng Lithium.

Ganfeng revealed the information in a February 7 press release, saying it will work with Seres Group on a deep collaboration around solid-state battery applications to bring safer, higher range and smarter mobility to users.

Seres Group is a key partner of Huawei in the EV sector. Previously known as Chongqing Sokon, the company changed its name last year to Seres Group, with Seres still being an EV brand under the group's umbrella.

The Seres SF5 was the first model to be sold through Huawei's channels. But for now Huawei is mainly supporting a new brand called AITO, which it launched with Seres in December 2021.

The Ganfeng solid-liquid hybrid battery that will power the Seres 5 uses an advanced material system and solid-state technology to improve overall battery safety and energy density, Ganfeng said.

The battery's excellent performance in safety performance tests and innovations in pack technology will guarantee high quality and safe travel for customers, Ganfeng said.

Ganfeng is currently building a 20 GWh capacity lithium battery industrial park in Chongqing with the goal of making it the largest solid-state battery production base in China, it said.

(Image credit: Seres)

The Seres 5 is available in electric-only and extended-range versions, with the electric-only version featuring 80 kWh and 90 kWh battery packs, the latter being a semi-solid-state battery with a WLTP range of 530 km.

On December 10, 2021, Ganfeng unveiled its first-generation solid-state battery, a solid-liquid hybrid lithium-ion battery, but the company made no mention of its energy density.

Ganfeng said at the time that it was also working on a second-generation all-solid-state battery with an energy density of more than 360Wh/kg.

Ganfeng's latest announcement comes a day after Nio (NYSE: NIO) co-founder and president Qin Lihong said in a February 6 media briefing that Nio's 150-kWh battery pack will begin deliveries in the first half of this year.

Nio announced the 150-kWh semi-solid-state battery when it unveiled its flagship sedan, the Nio ET7, at the Nio Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021.

At the time, Nio expected the pack to become available in the fourth quarter of 2022, giving the ET7 an NEDC range of 1,000 kilometers. But the company's management said in an earnings call last year that the battery pack would have a delay of several months.

Back at Seres, local LiDAR manufacturer RoboSense yesterday announced a partnership agreement with it that will see models equipped with RoboSense's LiDARs available in 2023.

RoboSense's M-series LiDARs will help bring Seres' main model facelift to market with modular components, RoboSense said.