Battery Tech Moving Apace

MG is launching a new EV with semi-solid-state battery tech next year. At present it isn’t clear what model will debut the new battery pack. However, a hardtop version of Cyberster, a rival for electric Cayman, is a distinct possibility. MG reckons its technology won’t come at a big price premium either. 

The brand’s GM, Zhou Yan said “The battery industry is making rapid progress.” He advises those considering cars with LFP batteries to wait. Evidently the new battery will be standard issue in the electric model launching in 2025.

A recent report suggested the battery would be solid-state but this latest report indicates it uses semi-solid-state technology.

Solid-state batteries offer the promise of improved energy density, greater range, faster charging speeds and thermal stability compared with the lithium-ion batteries in use today. They use a gel instead of a liquid or solid and offer the same advantages as solid state batteries, only with not quite as much energy density.

To date, performance challenges, manufacturing complexity and supply chain issues have made solid state batteries too expensive for large-scale production.

That’s why MG is introducing a semi-solid-state battery. By employing a gel electrolyte it is competitive on price with existing batteries that feature liquid-only electrolytes.

MG’s push to bring (semi) solid-state batteries to production EVs next year is poised to give it an advantage over rivals like Volkswagen and Toyota. Both are not launching with solid-state tech for at least a couple of years.

Another SAIC-owned brand, IM Motors, has already shown off an EV, the L7, which also features a semi-solid-state battery. It developed the technology jointly with Chinese battery specialist Jiangsu Qingtao.

MG isn’t alone in debuting improved battery technology.

Mercedes says its forthcoming Mercedes CLA can drive well over 1000km with two quick charging stops.

The German reckons its new electric Mercedes CLA can travel 1270km with two 10-minute charging breaks. And that’s with just an 85kWh battery pack. 

Its platform features 800v electrical architecture enabling ultra-rapid charge speeds. Mercedes says it can “add 300km in 10 minutes”. That’s using a super-quick 320kW charger. And that matches the fast-charging rate of the much more expensive Porsche Taycan.

Mercedes has already shown the CLA can travel 3695km in 24 hours. It posted a new record at the Nardo Technical Centre in southern Italy recently. The team fast-charged it 40 times, each charging break lasting just 10 minutes. 

Evidently the top-spec CLA will manage up to 746km on a fully charged battery. 

The new CLA is set for launch in Q2 of next year. Mercedes said the multi-fuel MMA platform would see the CLA dot down with a hybrid powertrain at some point, probably in 2026.

A CLA Shooting Brake will follow the launch of the saloon. Thereafter the GLA and GLB replacements arrive, along with their EQA and EQB electric counterparts. Except they won’t be EQ branded.