Svolt Will Start Mass Production of Hybrid Solid-Liquid Batteries in September

Svolt Energy aims to begin volume production of hybrid solid-liquid batteries this September, with costs projected to match those of conventional liquid lithium-ion batteries.

Yang Hongxin, Svolt’s chairman and CEO, shared the plan in a Weibo video on Tuesday, highlighting that the company’s hybrid solid-liquid batteries deliver substantially improved safety.

Yang noted that the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries still faces a very long path, and until that technology achieves large-scale manufacturing, hybrid solid-liquid batteries will serve as the mainstream route.

He added that 2026 will be the first year of widespread adoption for hybrid solid-liquid batteries, with the technology entering large-scale market deployment.

Under the company’s roadmap, multiple vehicle models will be equipped with these new batteries by the end of September. By that time, the 100 kWh battery version will also achieve full-scale mass production.

Hybrid solid-liquid batteries are what have commonly been called semi-solid-state batteries in recent years. In China, the terminology has been standardized to “hybrid solid-liquid batteries” to prevent public confusion with all-solid-state batteries.

These batteries use both liquid and solid electrolytes to transport ions between the cathode and anode. In contrast, all-solid-state batteries rely entirely on solid electrolytes for ion transfer.

At present, all-solid-state batteries are seen as facing numerous unresolved technical challenges. Battery giants including CATL and BYD are targeting 2027 for the start of small-batch production of all-solid-state batteries.

Svolt Energy began as the power battery division of Great Wall Motors (GWM) and started its battery research and development in 2012.

It was spun off from GWM in February 2018 to focus on next-generation battery materials, cells, modules, packs, battery management systems (BMS), and energy storage technologies.

In April, Svolt’s battery installations in China reached 1.14 GWh, giving it a 1.83% market share and ranking tenth, according to data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).

CATL ranked first with a 46.64% share, while BYD came in second with 16.83%.