Ouyang Minggao Warns: All-Solid-State Batteries Not Ready for Mass Production Before 2026

At a media briefing of the China EV100 Forum on March 13, 2026, Academician Ouyang Minggao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences bluntly advised against selling all-solid-state battery electric vehicles "for the next couple of years." Despite China’s global leadership in all-solid-state battery patents and core material production capacity—with Chinese patents accounting for 44% of the global total in 2025, and the cost of sulfide electrolytes dropping from RMB 20 million per ton to under RMB 1 million—significant technical hurdles remain. These include electrolyte stability, electrode interface reactions, and thermal management in large-format cells. Ouyang stressed that laboratory breakthroughs do not equate to product reliability, noting that current technology has yet to meet automotive-grade safety and mass-production requirements. He urged the industry to remain rational and avoid speculative capital-driven hype that could lead to premature commercialization. He also highlighted that lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries remain the market’s “cornerstone” for now. Widespread adoption of all-solid-state batteries, he estimated, is still three to five years away.