China’s industry ministry and six other agencies set 2030 as the date for the first large-scale use of all-solid-state batteries, though CATL’s chairman rates the technology four out of nine and calls million-vehicle use before 2030 very unlikely. ProLogium’s Dunkirk plant, the largest new European cell project since Northvolt went bankrupt, is staged at 0.8 GWh in 2028 and will be certified against a Chinese standard.
China has set 2030 as the date for the first large-scale use of solid-state batteries. Its biggest battery maker rates the technology four out of nine. A plant in northern France broke ground in February.
The plan came from the industry ministry and six other agencies on 28 September and covers 2026 to 2030, as CnEVPost reported. It also targets lithium cells good for 15,000 charge cycles. The ministry acknowledged weaknesses in innovation and imbalances between supply and demand.
CATL is promising less than the plan does. Its chairman, Robin Zeng, put all-solid-state at four out of nine in June, on a scale where nine means ready for vehicle production.
He called the chance of fitting it to a million cars before 2030 very small. CATL intends limited production in 2027.
LG Energy Solution expects the technology to reach smartphones a decade before EVs. Its North America president says large cells are where manufacturers struggle.
Europe is further along than that timetable suggests, though not by much, and not on its own technology.
ProLogium already makes 6,000 packs a year in Taiwan, which is half a gigawatt hour, at 381 Wh/kg on TUV Rheinland’s measurement. That is roughly 30% above the cells in most electric cars today.
The company is now building the same thing in France, with subsidies agreed in 2023 and permits granted the year after.
The Dunkirk plant started construction in February beside the Gravelines nuclear station, staged at 0.8 GWh in 2028 and 12 GWh by 2032. Volkswagen’s PowerCo and Mercedes are separately working with Factorial on cells of their own.
None of it is close to Chinese volume, and the gap is not narrowing.
Chinese and South Korean makers supply 90% of Europe’s batteries, and Northvolt went bankrupt after raising $15bn. Dunkirk is the largest new European cell project since.
The standard is Chinese as well. ProLogium’s cells are certified against GB/T 43568-2026, the all-solid-state specification Beijing introduced in July, and were separately tested by UL Solutions.
China took 70% of global electric car production under the previous five-year plan. The new one says initial large-scale use rather than mass production, and even that is a target rather than a promise.