Gasgoo Munich- On March 18, as Chery Automobile marked its 29th anniversary, a "Guardian"-themed Battery Night event kicked off in Wuhu, Anhui.
As competition in the new energy vehicle sector shifts from early electrification to a systematic showdown, battery technology has emerged as the decisive chip. How can user safety anxiety be completely eliminated? How should the technical standards for the next generation of batteries be defined? And what role will automobiles play in the green energy ecosystem? Chery provided its answers at this conference.
At the event, Chery not only showcased the liquid safety performance of the Rhinoceros Battery and its forward-looking layout for all-solid-state batteries, but also unveiled a six-in-one smart energy ecosystem integrating "vehicle, storage, charging, grid, cloud, and carbon."
As Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyue put it: "Chery aims to drive the pile of batteries—not just installing a stronger green heart in cars, but solving the problem of green blood and genes for the entire industrial chain, making electric vehicles green throughout their full lifecycle."
Rhinoceros Battery Unsheathed: Three Anxieties, One Answer
If the questions raised at the start marked the beginning of this conference, the Rhinoceros Battery is Chery's first answer.
On the list of anxieties for new energy vehicle users, safety is always at the top. In 2025, global new energy vehicle safety incidents exceeded 7,000—a figure that reflects the public's wavering trust in battery technology. Chery's response is the Rhinoceros Battery and its 360 Safety Guardian system.
Image Source: Chery
Three anxieties, one answer. The Rhinoceros Battery uses hard data to hit user pain points directly: 500 kilometers of range from an 8-minute charge, a cycle life of 5,000 times, and 360-degree all-around safety protection.
Its "3 lines of defense × 6 scenarios × 0 compromise" safety system transforms safety from addition to multiplication. At the material level, Rhinocrystal material's cathode crystal expansion technology boosts structural stability by 11%, while separator nanocrystal composite technology increases puncture strength by 20%. Control standards are generally 14% to 20% stricter than national standards.
At the structural level, Rhinoshield rigid protection uses 1,300MPa gigapascal steel structures, increasing strength by 32%. In a collision, it can cut high voltage within 2 milliseconds and block currents exceeding 2,000A.
At the smart level, the Rhinocloud Battery Management System acts like a general practitioner, capable of identifying risks 100 days in advance and keeping SOC error within 2%.
This safety philosophy has been verified by third-party authorities. The latest tests by CATARC show that the Rhinoceros Battery passed serial crush and nail penetration tests, a 226.5°C thermal box test nearly double the national standard, a 5-meter double drop test, and a 1,500J bottom impact test ten times the national standard—without catching fire or exploding.
As Chery Vice President Gu Chunshan stated: "Safety is the DNA integrated into Chery's blood; it is a bottom line that cannot be touched."
Image Source: Chery
From large cars to small ones, the Rhinoceros Battery achieves safety equality. The all-new QQ, equipped with the Rhinoceros E pure electric battery, became the first small car model to receive NESTA six-dimensional electric safety certification. As of March 17, orders had exceeded 35,689 units.
The Fengyun A9 also carries the Rhinoceros E pure electric battery, featuring a large 70kWh capacity and a cell energy density of 195Wh/kg. High-voltage power cut takes just 2 milliseconds, with high-strength steel accounting for over 80% of the body structure.
The Fengyun T9L is equipped with the Rhinoceros H plug-in hybrid battery, boasting a cycle life of up to 5,000 times. It offers a CLTC pure electric range of 230 kilometers and a comprehensive range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, with pre-sales starting on March 25.
The TIGGO 5 HEV series uses the Rhinoceros H oil-hybrid dedicated battery, pioneering a global new era of "5-kWh" fuel-like driving feel.
Blind orders have opened for the EXEED EX7, a performance luxury large five-seat SUV. Meanwhile, the EXEED ES, equipped with the liquid Rhinoceros E pure electric battery, can achieve a 500-kilometer range with an 8-minute charge.
The All-Solid-State Game
If the Rhinoceros Battery is Chery's response to current user anxieties, the assault on all-solid-state batteries is a move to secure the high ground of future technology.
Solid-state batteries are widely recognized as a disruptive technology reshaping the new energy vehicle landscape. Their high energy density and high safety thresholds promise to solve the long-standing range and safety pain points of liquid batteries at the root.
In 2026, the official implementation of the world's first national standard for automotive solid-state batteries will mark the industry's departure from the conceptual phase and entry into a critical window for moving from the lab to industrialization.
Zhang Yongwei, chairman of the China EV 100, predicts that all-solid-state batteries will enter small-scale mass production and vehicle demonstration between 2026 and 2027, with preliminary conditions for large-scale application met around 2030.
Against this industry backdrop, Chery systematically disclosed its R&D achievements and implementation plans for all-solid-state batteries. With R&D investment at the "billion-yuan, thousand-person" level, full-chain technological breakthroughs, and a tiered implementation strategy, Chery is positioning itself as a pioneer in the solid-state battery field.
"We are challenging ourselves to put all-solid-state batteries on vehicles for verification by 2027. Within two years, Chery's dedicated all-solid-state battery R&D team will exceed 1,200 people, and special R&D funding will surpass 10 billion yuan. In the future, there will be no upper limit on our R&D spending for all-solid-state batteries." Gu's statement demonstrates the determination of "Tech Chery."
Image Source: Chery
Continuous effort has yielded key technological breakthroughs. Currently, Chery's solid-state battery cell energy density has reached 400Wh/kg, moving toward 600Wh/kg, with a range capability of over 1,500 kilometers.
At the material level, Chery's all-solid-state batteries feature leading technologies such as electrolyte lattice anchoring, cathode shielding, and anode stress relief. At the process level, it employs ultra-thin coating, temperature isostatic pressing, and integrated formation technologies, capable of withstanding ultra-high pressures of over 600MPa. In AI-assisted R&D, over 1 million design iterations and more than 100 global key indicator optimizations have been completed, significantly boosting R&D efficiency.
Ouyang Minggao, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has noted that major technological transformations require accumulation, and solid-state batteries are a major strategic direction for the next generation of battery upgrades. While China has made important phased progress in all-solid-state battery R&D, numerous practical challenges remain. High-specific-energy sulfide all-solid-state batteries still need to overcome a series of scientific critical problems at the levels of key materials, interfaces, composite materials, electrodes, and cells.
The cost of all-solid-state batteries was once the biggest barrier to commercialization. Industry data shows the current cost is about $350/kWh, 2.8 times that of liquid batteries.
Chery aims to compress costs to under $200/kWh through full-industry-chain self-research. A core path is the dry electrode process—this eliminates solvent procurement, recovery, and environmental treatment steps, achieving material utilization of over 95% and a stable yield rate above 99%.
Li Hong, a researcher at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated: "The difficulty of all-solid-state batteries lies in the stability of the solid electrolyte and the solid-solid interface, requiring systematic breakthroughs in materials, processes, and equipment. Companies that can make progress in this field will seize the opportunity in the next generation of battery competition."
Chery's "in-situ polymerization system solid electrolyte" precisely finds a balance between safety and performance by using nano-ceramic doping to enhance ionic conductivity while avoiding the flammability defects of sulfide processes.
Regarding implementation rhythm, Chery is not blindly chasing the first launch of all-solid-state batteries but adopting a tiered layout of solid-liquid hybrid first, followed by all-solid-state. This strategy aligns closely with Ouyang Minggao's judgment that "true mass production of all-solid-state batteries is at least until 2030, and semi-solid batteries will become the market mainstream in the next five years."
According to the plan, the solid-liquid hybrid battery version of the EXEED EX7 performance luxury large five-seat SUV will officially launch in the fourth quarter of 2026. With an energy density exceeding 300Wh/kg and a range of over 1,000km, it combines the stability of liquid batteries with the high energy density of solid-state batteries. This approach not only quickly meets user demand for long range but also accumulates engineering experience for the mass production of all-solid-state batteries.
The shooting brake model EXEED ES8 will become Chery's first vehicle equipped with an all-solid-state battery. Relying on a cell energy density of 400Wh/kg, it achieves an ultra-long range of over 1,500 kilometers, serving as a benchmark for the implementation of Chery's solid-state battery technology.
This tiered layout avoids the high costs and reliability risks of the early stages of all-solid-state battery industrialization while ensuring the continuity of technology implementation, reflecting the pragmatism and rationality of Chery as an "engineering man" automaker.
Amid the industry-wide noise of chasing technological high ground, Chery has chosen a path of "forward-looking layout without being aggressive, and tiered advancement without being slow." This may well be the key to its steady progress in the solid-state battery race.
The Ace Card Hidden in the Data
If the 2025 financial report is the face Chery presents to the market, the technology reserves showcased at Battery Night are the lining supporting that report card. On March 18, Chery released its first annual performance report since listing, with multiple operating indicators hitting record highs.
In 2025, Chery Automobile's independent passenger vehicle sales reached 2.63 million units, a year-on-year increase of 14.6%. Of these, new energy independent passenger vehicle sales hit 826,500 units, surging 72.5% annually. Total revenue for the year reached 300.29 billion yuan, up 11.3% year-on-year, breaking the 300 billion yuan mark for the first time.
Net profit attributable to shareholders was 19.02 billion yuan, a 34.55% year-on-year increase, with growth significantly outpacing sales growth. The net profit margin rose from 5.3% to 6.5%. Crucially, the gross profit margin of the new energy business jumped to 8.8%, marking a transition from scale expansion to profit growth.
Analysts point out that Chery's profit growth was achieved without large-scale price cuts or reliance on subsidies. This means Chery isn't just buying market share with low prices—it is truly making money through product strength.
The overseas market was an even brighter spot. In 2025, Chery exported 1.29 million vehicles, a 33.2% increase, accounting for 49.2% of total annual sales. It has ranked first among Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years. Overseas revenue reached 157.42 billion yuan, up 56% year-on-year, increasing its share of total revenue to 52.4%.
In the European market, Chery achieved a key breakthrough, with full-year sales growing more than 200% and entering 16 European markets including the UK and Italy.
The continuous increase in R&D investment is the deep reason behind this performance. In 2025, Chery's R&D investment reached 14.72 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 39.6%, with R&D expenditure at 11.44 billion yuan.
While many automakers chose to cut R&D investment and shrink their frontlines, Chery instead increased its efforts. Currently, Chery has accumulated over 400 core technology reserves across five major areas: Mars Architecture, Kunpeng Power, Lingxi Smart Cabin, Falcon Smart Driving, and the Galaxy Ecosystem. These technological accumulations provide the confidence to maintain profits during price wars and gain premiums in overseas markets.
The smart energy ecosystem released at Battery Night reveals Chery's next strategic direction—extending from car manufacturing to energy creation.
While the industry remains focused on specific metrics like battery range and charging speed, Chery has quietly made its move in a bigger game: building a panoramic ecosystem integrating transportation and energy.
Image Source: Chery
Its proposed six-in-one smart energy ecosystem of "vehicle, storage, charging, grid, cloud, and carbon" essentially redefines the car as a mobile intelligent energy storage unit and a node in the energy network.
The most tangible manifestation of this concept is the combination of "V2G" technology and the "Xunlong Second-Charge" ultra-fast charging network—by 2029, Chery plans to build more than 20,000 charging piles supporting V2G functionality and will launch the "Ten Cities, Hundred Stations" pilot plan first.
On the power generation side, the world's first 25kW ammonia-fueled solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power generation product debuted, offering stable output with over 60% generation efficiency. It can provide zero-carbon base load power for scenarios like industrial parks and data centers.
From engines to new energy, and from building cars to creating energy, Chery is using the original intention and spirit of an "engineering man" to conquer one technological high ground after another. As Gu Chunshan said: "R&D innovation must be aggressive, but application in vehicles must be cautious." This balance of foresight and pragmatism is perhaps the most valuable character of "Tech Chery."
