Huawei patents game-changing solid-state battery

Huawei has filed a patent for a pioneering new sulphide-based solid-state battery that will offer EV drivers a range of up to 3000km and an ultra-fast charging time of just five minutes.

Muscling in on territory inhabited by the likes of BYD and CATL, the new battery technology revealed by the telecommunications giant is said to boast energy densities of between 400 and 500Wh/kg – two or three times that of conventional lithium-ion cells.

According to CarNewsChina, which discovered the patent, the new filing sees Huawei’s scientists adding nitrogen into the mix. This is said to prevent the lithium component of the batteries from reacting elsewhere in the cell – a common barrier to full-scale production as some sulphide cells suffer short lifespans.

With the patent filed, it’s not known what the tech giant will do next with its breakthrough battery as currently Huawei does not have any manufacturing facilities suitable to build it.

Analysts have suggested that if production-ready the charging infrastructure wouldn’t be equipped to realise a five-minute charge in the real world, even in China where one-megawatt BYD chargers are being installed.

Earlier this year, Huawei filed yet another patent for a state-of-the-art sulphide-based electrolyte, but at the time analysts ruled it out over the extreme cost associated with producing it.

As well as attempting to end its own reliance on third-party battery producers for its phones and electronics, Huawei is claimed to be just one tech firm and car-maker now using its resources to develop solid-state cells, potentially ending car-makers’ reliance on the likes of CATL, at least for coming up with the chemistry for batteries that power cars.

The news of yet another solid-state battery breakthrough will make sober reading for the likes of Toyota, Panasonic and Samsung, who have all been investing heavily in the tech for the last decade.

It was rumoured that Toyota could suddenly take the lead in the race after it unwrapped a prototype back in 2024 that blended a 1200km range with a 10-minute charge, but the car-making giant has yet to mass produce solid-state batteries, with its tech not expected to launch until 2028.

Beating it to market in 2027 will be CATL with its next-gen ‘Jinshi’ power packs, although they aren’t as energy dense (350Wh/kg) as the new Huawei tech, nor expected to be as cheap to make as sulphide-based batteries that use plentiful sulphur as a key ingredient.

Even with cheaper base materials, the Chinese car blog says that all battery producers are continuing to struggle with both the battery efficiency of using a solid electrolyte and the high costs of production, that currently range between 8000 and 10,000 yuan per kWh ($A1700 and $A2150).

Even at that cost, solid-state batteries are thought to be worth it as they dramatically improve safety and range while slashing charging times, thereby paving the way for the mass acceptance of EVs.

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