Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile claims to have developed a new type of solid-state battery technology that can more than double the driving range of electric vehicles, while also being incredibly safe under harsh conditions. But China's new export controls mean this cutting-edge technology may never arrive in North America.

Chery is China's fourth largest automaker in terms of sales volume and the country's biggest vehicle exporter ahead of BYD in the first six months of 2025, as per Bloomberg Intelligence. The company produces fully electric models, plug-in hybrids and internal combustion vehicles under brands including Chery, Exeed, Omoda, Jetour and iCar. Now, foray into solid-state batteries means BYD and CATL have one extra competitor to race against.

Battery experts consider solid-state batteries as the ultimate breakthrough that could eliminate range anxiety and shorten charging times while also being highly durable and long-lasting compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Some Chinese and Western automakers have started testing solid-state batteries on prototype vehicles, while a handful of electric cars with semi-solid-state batteries with a gel-like electrolyte are already on sale in China. 

China's Cailian News Agency reported last week that Chery has unveiled a prototype solid-state battery module with an energy density of 600 watt-hours per kilogram, which is more than double the average energy density of lithium-ion batteries currently on the market. Energy density this high is basically unheard of in the battery world, and if Chery manages to commercialize it, it could potentially deliver a driving range of 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) on the optimistic China Light-Duty Test Cycle (CLTC).

The automaker said during last week's Chery Global Innovation Conference that this battery uses a lithium manganese rich cathode and an "in-situ polymerized solid-electrolyte." According to a study published in the academic journal Royal Society Of Chemistry, these types of electrolytes—materials that allow ion movement in a cell during charging and discharging—are formed within the cell itself through a complex electrochemical process, instead of being made elsewhere and then inserted into a cell.