The Chinese car giant is the latest to develop solid-state battery technology, with the promise of driving ranges nearly double the most capable Teslas and BMWs currently available.
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Chery is working on next-generation electric cars with solid-state batteries theoretically capable of driving from Sydney to Adelaide on a single charge.
The Chinese manufacturer is the latest global car giant to work on solid-state tech, which moves beyond the liquid element of existing batteries to make them lighter, more energy-dense and, eventually, cheaper.
A timeline for the rollout of the new battery tech is yet to be revealed.
Chery says its current solid-state battery prototypes are already achieving energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram – compared to about 250 to 300Wh/kg for lithium-ion batteries currently on the market – with targets of 600 Wh/kg for future iterations.
The Chinese brand says this should unlock ranges of more than 1500 kilometres, longer than any current EV on the market.
The longest-range electric car currently available in Australia is the BMW iX3, which claims 805km in WLTP testing, but it is set to be surpassed next year by the Volvo EX60 (810km) and BMW i3 (900km).
The solid-state batteries are part of its new 'Rhino' range, which will also include packs for hybrid cars (H Series) – promised to enable up to 2000km of range – and regular lithium-ion battery-electric vehicles (E Series).
Chery says the batteries will be engineered to support up to 5000 charge cycles, and will be capable of adding 500km of range in eight minutes, though it is unclear if this applies to the lithium-ion or solid-state batteries.
The new range of batteries will be tested in real-world conditions, across high and low temperatures, salt exposure, crash simulations, underbody impact and water immersion, many of which will be conducted virtually.
Chery already sells a range of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric models, with sibling brand Jaecoo clocking up more than 2000 orders for its J5 electric SUV in its first three months on sale.
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