SAIC announced it will start mass production of the second-generation solid-state battery (SSB) in 2026, carnewschina.com reports.
It will have an energy density of 400 Wh/kg. SAIC entered the arms race with Chery, GAC, CATL, BYD, GWM, and other companies.
In April 2024, the SAIC-backed IM L6 electric car started pre-sales with a semi-solid-state Lightyear battery. SAIC announced it is the first semi-solid-state pack with a 900V high-voltage system. Its energy capacity reaches 130 kWh. Initially, IM Motors aimed to start deliveries of the L6 with this battery in October 2026. However, this variant of the car still hasn’t entered the domestic market. In November 2024, IM Motors applied for the sales license of the semi-solid-state battery-equipped IM L6.
So, SAIC slowly enters the semi-solid-state battery segment. However, the company is also pumping money into the pure SSB development. In 2023, SAIC formed a joint venture with Chinese solid-state battery startup QingTao Energy Development. Initially, QinTao announced its first-gen SSB will have an energy density of 368 Wh/kg with Level 0 thermal runaway. Now, SAIC has teased the second-gen SSB it creates jointly with QingTao, which will enter mass production in 2026.
