Chery to test solid-state batteries in vehicles in 2027

At the 2026 World Power Battery Conference in Yibin, Sichuan, Chery chairman Yin Tongyue put a date on the company’s solid-state battery program: 2027. That is when Chery says it will begin real-world vehicle tests of the cells, moving the technology from development toward a road-going trial.

The program already has a number attached to it. In March 2026, Chery introduced its Rhino S solid-state battery line, with cell variants ranging from 400 Wh/kg to 600 Wh/kg. Yin said the company had achieved 400 Wh/kg in its solid-state cells. Chery officials say battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) using the new battery will be able to run up to 1,500 km on a single charge. The Exeed ES8 station wagon, teased in December 2025, is set to be the first car used for road tests.

The hardware is also entering trial production. CarNewsChina reports that Chery’s offshoot, Anwa New Energy Technology, has begun producing engineering samples of solid-state cells. Its plant adopts full-chain production and has a planned annual capacity of 1.25 GWh. Anwa officials have said they aim to start volume production of 500 Wh/kg batteries in 2027, a target rather than a completed deployment.

Chery is entering a crowded race. Gotion High-Tech, Farasis Energy, CALB, CATL, BYD and Geely are among the automakers and battery manufacturers that have announced trial production or real-world solid-state battery tests for 2027. China EV DataTracker identifies CATL as China’s largest battery maker, with 42.9% market share, followed by BYD at 19.5%.

For drivers, the near-term consequence is concrete but limited: 2027 marks a planned vehicle test, not a confirmed production launch. Chery says it will not put the technology into vehicles unless it meets its safety threshold. The road test is therefore the next checkpoint between a cell result of 400 Wh/kg and solid-state batteries being integrated into vehicles at scale.