China’s science and technology ministry is vowing to boost the development of the most critical and frontier power battery technologies applied in the EV industry chain.

Xu Chaoqian, deputy director of the ministry’s high-tech division, said at an international forum that the ministry will “adhere to the direction of electrification, intelligence and networking.” The key technologies to receive support include cobalt-free batteries, solid-state and hybrid lithium-ion batteries, as well as hydrogen fuel batteries, he adds.

His statement is in line with plans announced by China’s ministry of industry and information technology last month, and part of the country’s 14th five-year economic plan, Kallanish notes.

The Asian giant, which already dominates the EV battery production arena, will also work to speed up the development of solid oxide batteries used in hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. The country has pledged to invest hard in hydrogen technologies, and the ministry is now saying these will cover high-density fuel cell stacks and engines; vehicle-mounted liquid hydrogen systems; and equipment for hydrogen-refuelling stations.

China’s EV battery production rose 161.7% year-on-year in August to 19.5 gigawatt-hours, while the installation volume increased 144.9% to 12.6 GWh. Production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are cobalt-free, reached 11.1 GWh last month. The volume surpassed the output of the traditional NCM/NCA batteries, which are based on the nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminium chemistries, at 8.4 GWh.

The data released by the China Automotive Manufacturers Association (CAAM) also show that the country has produced 111.5 GWh of batteries to date this year, up 201% compared to Jan-Aug 2020. Installations of batteries amounted to 76.3 GWh, increasing 176.3% in the same period.