The consortium called China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform (CASIP), founded in January, aims to develop and produce competitive solid-state batteries and build a supply chain by 2030. This emerges from a report by the Japanese business newspaper “Nikkei Asia”, which, among other things, quotes statements from high-ranking representatives from the CASIP opening ceremony.
According to “Nikkei Asia”, the battery manufacturers CATL, CALB, EVE Energy, SVOLT, Gotion High-Tech and the BYD battery subsidiary FinDreams Battery are involved in the alliance. There are also several state-owned manufacturers from the auto industry as well as the private companies BYD and Nio. Other actors include representatives of government and science. Specifically mentioned on the government side are the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Supervision and Administration Commission for State-Owned Assets of the State Council (SASAC) and the National Energy Authority. The scientific part is covered by government-affiliated research institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Additionally, according to the Japanese newspaper, “influential state-sponsored funds are on CASIP’s membership list.”
Ouyang Minggao, a professor at Tsinghua University, gave a speech at the opening ceremony in January. “Nikkei Asia” quotes the following passage: “We must be prepared for the risk that solid-state battery technology could wipe out China’s lead in car batteries. And: “Artificial intelligence is changing the way we do materials research and development and will significantly accelerate solid-state battery research and development. By around 2030, we will have a greater chance of achieving a breakthrough in the industrialization of solid-state batteries.”
Ergo, China does not want to allow its market-leading position in electric car batteries to be undermined by a technological leap towards solid-state batteries. Against this background, the new consortium will primarily focus on basic research, key technologies, the joint development and production of electric vehicles with solid-state batteries and the development of a corresponding supply chain.
It should be emphasized that the project, coordinated from Beijing, brings together competitors who are sometimes fighting aggressively for market share. An example given by “Nikkei Asia” is the fact that CATL sued its competitors CALB and Svolt for patent infringement. Bringing together the Chinese counterparts, the initiatives launched in South Korea, Japan, North America and Europe to commercialize solid-state battery technology that could outdo the Chinese industry. Toyota, for example, wants to bring the first electric cars with solid-state batteries onto the market in 2027/28, and Nissan also in the 2028 financial year.
