Recently, CATL stated its continued commitment to full-solid-state batteries, with the potential for small-scale production by 2027. This aligns with the company’s previous timeline: starting with small-scale trial production in 2027, and moving to mass production around 2030. Technologically, CATL is focusing on the sulfide-based route, with a validation platform for 10Ah batteries already in place. Sulfide solid-state batteries are now in the trial production phase for 20Ah samples, aiming for a target energy density of about 500Wh/kg. According to CATL’s 2025 annual report, R&D expenses were RMB 22.147 billion, up 19.02% year-on-year, and the solid-state battery R&D team has grown to over 1,000 people. However, CATL Chairman Robin Zeng (Zeng Yuqun) previously acknowledged at the Summer Davos Forum that if technology maturity is rated from 1 to 9, full-solid-state batteries are currently at level 4, with both engineering and cost challenges still standing in the way of full-scale commercialization. From an industry perspective, 2027 is not a unique milestone for CATL alone. Samsung SDI has already set its full-scale production goal for full-solid-state batteries for the second half of 2027, Toyota’s sulfur-based route is also targeting this timeframe, and BYD has clearly set its target for small-scale production in 2027. The collective alignment of major Chinese, Japanese, and Korean players in the full-solid-state battery small-scale introduction phase indicates that the engineering race for next-generation battery technology has entered a critical stage. (Compiled by Autohome, Yao Yu)