MG to introduce solid-state batteries in Q2 2025 - over a year ahead of schedule!

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

MG to launch first electric car with solid-state battery in 2025 | Autocar

MG parent SAIC accelerates cheaper, more energy-dense batteries and the first is due in a production EV next year

www.autocar.co.uk

 

[riddick]

It's fantastic. But the truth is that these batteries won't be in every MG electric car right away. Reportedly, it will be a premium car, and it will probably take a few years before they appear in more common models. There's a bit more detail here: MG Announces Groundbreaking Solid-State Battery Electric Vehicle for 2025

Anyway, one way or another, it's a good step, and I was certainly surprised that they will be doing it themselves. I would have expected CATL or someone like that. Maybe they're collaborating with them, but they are managing production on their own. I think Europe has a serious problem

 

[GranTurismoEra]

CATL are next door to the SAIC Factory in Ningde at the port. Also the rest of the world wont have Solid state batteries ready for another 3 years. SAIC say this an early version but it will give 70% more range and be 800V? Going into L6 first and possibly MG9 after. Which I expect to be £50k cars.

 

[Robf]

Electric cars will never catch on because er...mmmm.. Just because.

 

[riddick]

Electric cars will never catch on because er...mmmm.. Just because.

Yeah, exactly. Similarly, when the internet first started, people claimed we didn’t need it, it was slow, and no one would shop online. Today, they say EVs don't have enough range and that it will never improve. It's just absolute conservatism and the inability to see beyond the next paycheck.

 

[Archev]

Yeah, exactly. Similarly, when the internet first started, people claimed we didn’t need it, it was slow, and no one would shop online. Today, they say EVs don't have enough range and that it will never improve. It's just absolute conservatism and the inability to see beyond the next paycheck.

What’s a pay check??

 

[GranTurismoEra]

What’s a pay check??

Check you have been paid! Pay Cheque. It won't surprise me as in UK some companies make excuses for missing payments such as HR being on holiday or approver smoking outside at 4:50pm. You should always check. "Pay Check,"

 

[Archev]

Check you have been paid! Pay Cheque. It won't surprise me as in UK some companies make excuses for missing payments such as HR being on holiday or approver smoking outside at 4:50pm. You should always check. "Pay Check,"

Self employed - now retired. ?

 

[Data]

Same with the iSmart app! You need a "mobile phone" to use it. Well...I can't see mobile phones ever catching on!!

Seriously, this is good news. However, Toyota have already revealed their new 1000 mile range solid state batteries 9 months ago that will be in their range of EV's in 2027. Apparently they charge up in just 8 mins.

 

[decrep]

Electric cars will never catch on because er...mmmm.. Just because.

A guy told me the other day, that electric cars produce more particulates because they are heavier, and wear their tires and BRAKES out quicker. I'm afraid I almost exploded! But in the end just walked away.

 

[Data]

A guy told me the other day, that electric cars produce more particulates because they are heavier, and wear their tires and BRAKES out quicker. I'm afraid I almost exploded! But in the end just walked away.

Yes, there is a level of misunderstanding that's hard for us EV drivers to contemplate! When I took delivery of my new ZS EV at the start of the year I had a steady stream of neighbours who were obviously very curious, coming over to tell me I'd regret getting an electric vehicle as they don't last because the battery is toast after 5-6 years & I won't be able to afford to replace it. The cars range is ridiculously short so I can't go anywhere. They still pollute with debris from tyres & brakes because the cars are so heavy, they damage the roads due to there weight...etc etc etc! And those are just the opening comments.

I soon put them right & after giving the worst offenders a quick trip round the block, they were almost completely silent! Stunned by the performance, quietness, handling & the fact I didn't once use the brakes. Regen did it all. They liked the way the car was packed with tech that worked. Some of them had spent more than me on ice cars that had inferior performance & inferior equipment. And, as I was quick to point out their cars will wear out much quicker than my car & produce increasing amounts of CO2. I must admit to having felt slightly smug as I said that.

 

[Anon70]

A guy told me the other day, that electric cars produce more particulates because they are heavier, and wear their tires and BRAKES out quicker. I'm afraid I almost exploded! But in the end just walked away.

As your location is Oz, thought I would see what the average Ute weighs (unladen). MG4 starts around 1635kg

 

[decrep]

As your location is Oz, thought I would see what the average Ute weighs (unladen). MG4 starts around 1635kg
View attachment 37888

Interesting, but I think the ute is probably lighter than the sedan.
The guy in question has a Jag, I'm not sure what model,
But here's a sample of their weights. I think I'll have to have a word with him, and see if he's open minded enough to have a drive of the MG4

1,630 kg,1,775 kg,1,760 kg,1,630 kg, 1,685 kg,1,775 kg,1,810 kg,1,766 kg, 1,830 kg,1,930 kg.​

 

[GranTurismoEra]

Bmw m4 1970kg
AMG GT 2025 2130kg?!
M2 2025 1700kg almost as heavy as a GTR

 

[Pete G]

Data that information on the Toyota 1000 kilometre range car brings up some interesting questions.
If the car were to do that range it would have to have a battery of around 200 or 250 Kilowatt hour capacity.
To charge a battery of that size in 8 minutes would need a charger that would have to be capable of putting in 1.5 to 2 megawatt hours of charge.
Say the batteries were running at 1000 volts then the charger has to supply 1500 to 2000 amperes.
I would suggest that there would be very few chargers around that would be near enough to a high voltage powerline that could charge the car at that level.
Then of course how big does the charge cable have to be?
We will need superconductor cables to the car or no one will be able to lift the charge cable off the charger.
It all sounds great, but practicality of such a turn around time is going to be limited.
Especially in rural areas where the powerlines will not support Megawatt chargers.

 

[Data]

Data that information on the Toyota 1000 kilometre range car brings up some interesting questions.
If the car were to do that range it would have to have a battery of around 200 or 250 Kilowatt hour capacity.
To charge a battery of that size in 8 minutes would need a charger that would have to be capable of putting in 1.5 to 2 megawatt hours of charge.
Say the batteries were running at 1000 volts then the charger has to supply 1500 to 2000 amperes.
I would suggest that there would be very few chargers around that would be near enough to a high voltage powerline that could charge the car at that level.
Then of course how big does the charge cable have to be?
We will need superconductor cables to the car or no one will be able to lift the charge cable off the charger.
It all sounds great, but practicality of such a turn around time is going to be limited.
Especially in rural areas where the powerlines will not support Megawatt chargers.

Yes, but that's what Toyota are saying. This was announced around 9 months ago. From memory it was 1000 miles not kilometres. In reality Toyota will likely produce just one luxury ultra high range car with most of the new range of cars having 4-500 mile ranges. The charging networks are already looking at ultra ultra fast charges (1 mega watt) for the future because so many manufacturers will have very high range cars with fast charge capability. Although their cars will charge very fast I doubt they will achieve the manufacturers top speeds for charging. It's just the cars themselves will be capable of it.

 

[Pete G]

I thought that England used the metric system like Oz since the 1960s. It seems that you must use a mix of imperial and metric over there.
So a thousand mile range is going to need a 2 megawatt charger or there abouts.
They may be a rare find, as you say if most of the cars in the range do 4 to 500 miles then a 1 megawatt charger would probably do.
Still something will have to change as far as plugs, sockets and cables go.

 

[JimD]

Data that information on the Toyota 1000 kilometre range car brings up some interesting questions.
If the car were to do that range it would have to have a battery of around 200 or 250 Kilowatt hour capacity.
To charge a battery of that size in 8 minutes would need a charger that would have to be capable of putting in 1.5 to 2 megawatt hours of charge.
Say the batteries were running at 1000 volts then the charger has to supply 1500 to 2000 amperes.
I would suggest that there would be very few chargers around that would be near enough to a high voltage powerline that could charge the car at that level.
Then of course how big does the charge cable have to be?
We will need superconductor cables to the car or no one will be able to lift the charge cable off the charger.
It all sounds great, but practicality of such a turn around time is going to be limited.
Especially in rural areas where the powerlines will not support Megawatt chargers.

Not sure where you've plucked those figures from, but you're mixing up your kw with your kwh.

My MG5 battery is 60kwh and will go about 200 miles. Say a 1000km (about 620m) would need to be 200 kwh, you would need 200kwh of energy to charge it from zero to full. To charge in 8 minutes you'd need a 1.5mw charger (ignoring efficiency losses).

Current chargers go up tp 350kw so they'd need to be about 4 times as powerful - it doesn't sound that outrageous to me.

EDIT: with a 350kw charger, it would take about 20m to charge from 20 to 80%.

 

[Data]

I thought that England used the metric system like Oz since the 1960s. It seems that you must use a mix of imperial and metric over there.
So a thousand mile range is going to need a 2 megawatt charger or there abouts.
They may be a rare find, as you say if most of the cars in the range do 4 to 500 miles then a 1 megawatt charger would probably do.
Still something will have to change as far as plugs, sockets and cables go.

Yes, we do mix our measurements Pete. We still use miles per hour for speed & miles for distance. Yet most other measurements are metric!

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

Not sure where you've plucked those figures from, but you're mixing up your kw with your kwh.

My MG5 battery is 60kwh and will go about 200 miles. Say a 1000km (about 620m) would need to be 200 kwh, you would need 200kwh of energy to charge it from zero to full. To charge in 8 minutes you'd need a 1.5mw charger (ignoring efficiency losses).

Current chargers go up tp 350kw so they'd need to be about 4 times as powerful - it doesn't sound that outrageous to me.

EDIT: with a 350kw charger, it would take about 20m to charge from 20 to 80%.

You're forgetting that solid state batteries will have a higher energy density (kWh/kg) than current batteries.
So, a solid state battery of the same physical size & weight as your MG5s might be over 100kWh.
There are already a bank of 480kW chargers on the approach to Blackpool, and 1-1.2MW chargers are already being deployed overseas.