BYD’s big battery breakthrough: BYD unveil solid-state battery plans to rival incoming 2026 Chery Exeed ES8 shooting brake and Exeed Liefeng

2027 BYD solid-state battery (Image: CarNews China)

BYD is the latest brand to get in on the solid-state battery scene, with small-batch production to get underway in 2027, according to reports.

This latest development puts BYD back in the race against Chinese rival Chery that has also recently announced solid-state technology.

The Chery Exeed Liefeng shooting brake will feature a battery offering a potential driving range of 1500km, with an energy density of 600Wh per kilogram.

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This will launch after the Exeed ES8 shooting brake, which will be Chery’s first solid-state model, with a driving range of 1000km.

We do not know which BYD vehicles will be fitted with this solid-state technology or its real-world potential yet.

It is expected BYD’s technology will differ from Chery’s as it will use sulfide electrolytes as opposed to oxide-based chemistry.

This different set-up could be a more practical route to commercial viability for solid-state technology as it is claimed to be easier to manufacture and provides benefits such as faster and safer energy transfer that could result in faster charging and lower fire risk.

2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS solid-state prototype

BYD’s solid-state powered vehicles will only be available in a small batch next year, which suggests there are no plans yet for the technology to enter full-scale production at this stage.

Solid-state batteries have been gaining traction with car makers in China, but other big-name manufacturers in Europe and North America have been slower to get behind them.

General Motors has highlighted its scepticism for solid-state, preferring investment in silicon graphite batteries, while Ford views it as a ‘possible future technology’.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled a prototype solid-state powered version of its EQS sedan in September 2025, which travelled 1205km on a single charge.

Full integration of this technology remains several years away, with full market integration unlikely to occur until the 2030s if it continues to gather steam in the EV space.