Published on 14/02/2025
At 85, academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chen Liquan still drives China’s battery technology revolution, shaping the future of energy. His vision, ”Electric China”, pushes the nation toward a sustainable power era.
As the pioneering explorer of China’s lithium battery technology, Chen spearheaded groundbreaking research initiatives that charted the nation’s course from a technology follower to a world-leading innovator, nurturing industry giants like CATL.
China now produces and sells over 10 million new energy vehicles annually. Behind this thriving landscape lie Chen’s contributions throughout his decades of relentless research.
Born in 1940 in rural Nanchong, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Chen’s early life was marked by hardship. In middle school, he had to walk dozens of kilometers every weekend to carry rice back to school for meals and study under kerosene lamps. It wasn’t until high school that he first experienced electric lighting, and his first bus ride came after he was admitted to university.
After graduating from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1964, Chen joined the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to study crystal materials.
A research project started in 1976 at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research introduced him to lithium nitride, a compound that might be used in solid-state batteries to power electric vehicles.
At the time, the world was experiencing an oil crisis. Chen recognized that an energy revolution to replace oil was inevitable and that solid-state lithium batteries would significantly impact China and the world in the future. However, cars were still a luxury for most Chinese people in those days.
Chen switched his research focus to solid-state ionics. Returning home in 1978, he established China’s first solid-state ionics lab, conducting foundational research on solid-state ionics related to lithium batteries and their applications in energy.
“At that time, research on lithium battery materials was a niche field with an uncertain future,” said Dong Ming, one of Chen’s students. “Choosing this direction required not only sharp insight but also great courage.”
By 1988, Chen’s team had produced China’s first solid-state battery, although commercialization remained distant.
In 1991, when Japan’s Sony announced the commercialization of liquid lithium-ion batteries, solid-state battery research faced a significant setback. In response, Chen temporarily set aside his work on solid-state lithium batteries and shifted his focus to the study of liquid lithium-ion batteries.
With scarce funding, his team persuaded a daring entrepreneur to invest. In 1995, the team unveiled China’s first liquid lithium-ion battery, which was certified by an evaluation organized by the CAS.
Building on this milestone, the team focused on solving scientific, technological and engineering challenges for scaling up lithium-ion battery production. Despite receiving maximal support from the CAS, funding remained insufficient.
After several challenges, the team secured additional investment and established a pilot lithium-ion battery production line in 1997, relying primarily on domestic technologies, equipment and raw materials. By 1998, the pilot line, with an annual production capacity of 200,000 units, passed official acceptance.
This effort laid the groundwork for China’s lithium-ion battery manufacturing sector by accumulating critical knowledge, technology, equipment and talent.
China launched its new energy vehicle program in 2000, when electric vehicles were included in the “863 program,” a national government-funded high-tech development initiative, marking the start of its journey to develop battery-powered vehicles.
In 2009, Chen and ATL (later CATL) chairman Zhang Yujie forged a partnership that turbocharged China’s battery sector. In 2011, CATL, a fully Chinese-funded company, emerged as a major player. Through close collaboration with scientists, CATL and other lithium battery manufacturers have propelled China to new heights in lithium battery technology. By 2014, Chinese firms dominated global lithium-ion battery production.
Yet Chen’s gaze once again shifted.
“Liquid lithium-ion batteries are approaching their physical limits at 300 watt-hours/kg energy density,” he explained. “Further improvements face technical barriers, compounded by safety concerns.”
“This led us to conclude that solid-state lithium batteries are imperative since they greatly improve energy density while significantly enhancing safety,” Chen said.
In-situ solidified-state batteries demonstrated superior energy density, enhanced safety profiles, and lower costs at scale. These attributes expanded their potential applications across emerging sectors, including low-altitude mobility, electric vessels, long-range EVs, energy storage systems and consumer electronics.
In 2016, Chen and his student Li Hong led their team in innovatively developing a portfolio of solid-state battery technologies with independent Chinese intellectual property rights, and founded Beijing WELION New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
In 2023, their cells achieved an energy density of 360 watt-hours/kg, the world’s highest for mass-produced EV batteries, enabling a 1,000-km single-charge range. These cells have been mass-produced and delivered to Chinese automaker NIO and other well-known automakers.
Today, Chen’s lab buzzes with research on all-solid-state and sodium-ion batteries. They are chasing safer, cheaper cells for ships, high-speed trains, and planes.
He was awarded the 2024 Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement Prize by the CAS, but he shrugged off accolades. “Honors fade,” he said.
His mission is clear: to develop more affordable and reliable batteries, bringing the vision of “Electric China” closer to reality.
