Suzhou Starts Prismatic All-Solid-State Battery Pilot Project

A pilot production initiative for prismatic all-solid-state power batteries was officially launched in Suzhou Industrial Park through a collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics and Zhongke Low-Carbon City Development (Suzhou) Co. The first phase covers 219 mu of land and aims to build a 0.2 GWh cell pilot line alongside a 4 GWh system integration facility. By targeting prismatic form factors using a polymer-oxide composite route, the project seeks to move solid-state battery technology from lab development toward scalable manufacturing for robotics, aviation, and electric vehicles.

While global solid-state battery development has largely relied on pouch cell formats during laboratory trials, prismatic cells represent 97 percent of the existing liquid power battery market. Mastering prismatic form factors lowers downstream integration friction for automotive and device manufacturers, advancing solid-state chemistries toward commercially viable production.

A pilot production project for advanced prismatic all-solid-state batteries has been formally established in Suzhou, according to a report by People's Daily. The signing ceremony took place at the Suzhou Taihu Science and Technology Innovation Development Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project represents a joint venture between the Institute of Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhongke Low-Carbon City Development (Suzhou) Co., with construction managed by Zhongke Jurong Low-Carbon Technology Industrial Development (Suzhou) Co. A first-phase development parcel covering 219 mu (approximately 14.6 hectares) has been allocated in the Suzhou Industrial Park. The initiative focuses on a polymer-oxide composite route to achieve full solid-state battery architectures. Technical development centers around five core manufacturing processes: dry electrode fabrication, solid-state formulation processing, pre-lithiation, interfacial thermal compounding, and centrally liquid-cooled cell configurations. The initiative aims to produce fast-charging, high-energy-density prismatic batteries that satisfy test standards set by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, while maintaining quasi-solid-state research in parallel. Prismatic battery casings currently dominate roughly 97 percent of the global liquid power battery market. Despite this, most ongoing solid-state battery development programs globally have defaulted to pouch cell formats. Project planners noted that overcoming engineering bottlenecks associated with prismatic casings is critical to accelerating downstream adoption across robotics, electric aviation, low-altitude transit, and satellite networks. Under initial planning, the venture will install a 0.2 GWh cell pilot line and a 4 GWh battery system integration line. The operators aim to establish full mass-production capabilities within two years. Local planners project the development will anchor a "one-hour supply chain circle" spanning the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou manufacturing belt, generating billions of yuan in auxiliary manufacturing output.