China’s solid-state battery industry has achieved landmark breakthroughs in early 2026, with policy support, corporate technological advancements and industrial chain upgrades converging to accelerate mass production, industry insiders and official announcements revealed. The revolutionary technology, which replaces traditional liquid electrolytes with solid alternatives, is set to eliminate range anxiety and safety concerns for electric vehicles (EVs), while cementing China’s leading position in the global new energy race.
The momentum was fueled by a key policy signal in January: the Inter-Ministerial Joint Meeting on the Development of Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Industry emphasized accelerating breakthroughs in all-solid-state battery technology as part of its 2026 work plan, aiming to enhance the autonomy and controllability of the industrial chain supply chain. Complementing this, China’s first national standard for all-solid-state batteries, GB38031-2025, is scheduled to take effect in July, setting strict safety benchmarks including over 2 hours of thermal runaway protection, no fire or explosion in needle puncture tests, and a cycle life of no less than 1,500 times.
Domestic automakers and battery giants have responded with remarkable progress, rolling out tangible achievements in early 2026. Gotion High-Tech stood out with its Jinshi all-solid-state battery, which has completed full-chain breakthroughs from materials to manufacturing. The company’s first pilot line, with a designed capacity of 0.2GWh, boasts a yield rate of 90% and 100% localization of core equipment. After 365 days of extreme verification, the battery passed rigorous safety tests including needle puncture, hot box and overcharge, with a 150% increase in single-cell capacity and a test vehicle mileage exceeding 10,000 kilometers.
Other major players are also forging ahead. Dongfeng Motor Group announced it has developed semi-solid-state batteries and is tackling all-solid-state technology targeted for mass production in 2027. The automaker has built a 0.2GWh solid-state battery pilot line and plans to mass-produce batteries with an energy density of 350Wh/kg by September 2026, enabling EVs to achieve a driving range of 1,000 kilometers. Meanwhile, GAC Group launched a semi-solid-state battery pilot production line in January, capable of mass-producing automotive-grade batteries above 60Ah, with small-batch vehicle loading verification set to start in 2026.
Technological breakthroughs in key materials and processes are laying the foundation for industrialization. Weichai Power completed industry-leading laboratory research on sulfide all-solid-state batteries and is now advancing industrialization R&D, while Beijing Easpring Material Technology developed a new type of chlorine-iodine composite sulfide electrolyte, effectively solving the problem of solid-solid interface contact, with products entering batch verification at major customers. On the equipment front, breakthroughs in high-precision coating and isostatic pressing equipment have provided support for GWh-level mass production, reducing reliance on imported equipment.
The rise of solid-state batteries addresses long-standing pain points of traditional lithium-ion batteries, including limited energy density, range attenuation in low temperatures, and safety hazards. A standout achievement came from a domestic automaker whose self-developed all-solid-state battery maintained only a 10% range attenuation at -20℃, with an energy density of 600Wh/kg and support for 20C ultra-fast charging — enabling 500 kilometers of range to be added in just 10 minutes and a cycle life exceeding 3,500 times, enough to last over 10 years for average annual driving of 20,000 kilometers.
Industry analysts project massive market potential for solid-state batteries. According to China Merchants Securities, the global all-solid-state battery equipment market is expected to reach 59.216 billion yuan by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 103% from 2024 to 2030. “2026 is a critical year for solid-state battery technology verification,” said Zhai Dan, general manager of Xinhuo Private Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd. “Technological breakthroughs have significantly lowered the threshold from laboratory to mass production, pushing the industry into a key phase from pilot testing to commercialization”.
While challenges remain — including cost control and process stability — the industry’s trajectory is clear. Chinese enterprises, leveraging policy guidance, a complete industrial chain and heavy R&D investment, have moved from catching up to keeping pace and even leading in some areas globally, outpacing competitors from Japan and South Korea. Gotion High-Tech, for instance, invested 1.382 billion yuan in R&D in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 13.34%, to maintain its technological edge.
“The breakthrough of solid-state battery technology is not only a revolution in the power battery sector but also a driving force for the upgrading of the entire new energy vehicle industry,” said Lu Kelin, founder and CEO of Luku Island Technology. “It will not only make EVs more competitive than fuel-powered cars but also drive the upgrading of upstream and downstream industries such as charging piles and battery recycling, contributing to global energy transformation”.