Why Solid-State Batteries May Reach Smartphones Before Electric Cars

LG Energy Solution’s assessment is a warning against treating every solid-state battery announcement as an imminent EV breakthrough. The company expects smaller applications such as smartphones and drones to adopt the technology roughly a decade before mass-market electric vehicles, because producing large-format cells consistently remains the central challenge. 114

That view does not mean solid-state development has stopped. LG Energy Solution has reported a 2029 commercialization target for graphite-based all-solid-state EV batteries, while other manufacturers have announced pilot-production or demonstration goals earlier than that. 192526 The important distinction is between a pilot line, a limited prototype and dependable, cost-competitive production at the volumes required by the automotive market.

The bottleneck is industrial scale

Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte used in conventional lithium-ion cells with a solid material. The technology is attractive because it may enable higher energy density and improved safety, but laboratory performance is only one part of the problem.

LG Energy Solution North America president Robert Lee identified large-scale production as the key obstacle. Smaller cells are easier to manufacture and require less material per unit. EV batteries, by contrast, depend on large cells, high output and consistent quality across an entire production process. 114

That is why a solid-state cell working in a small electronic device does not automatically translate into a battery pack ready for millions of vehicles. Automotive production must also demonstrate repeatable quality, durability, safety and economics—not simply promising energy-density results.

What the Lansing plant says about LGES’s near-term strategy

LG Energy Solution’s new Lansing, Michigan, facility offers a useful snapshot of where the company sees near-term demand. The 226-acre site represents an investment of more than $2 billion and is targeting more than 35 GWh of annual battery-cell capacity at full scale. 37

The plant is producing large-format lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, cells for energy-storage applications alongside nickel-manganese-cobalt, or NMC, cells for electric vehicles. The NMC cells are expected to support Toyota’s 2027 Highlander EV. 47

This is a conventional lithium-ion expansion rather than an immediate conversion to solid-state production. It reflects the commercial value of technologies that can be manufactured now while next-generation cells continue moving through research, pilot lines and validation.

The practical battery roadmap is broader than solid-state

LG Energy Solution and its partners are also pursuing incremental improvements that could reach vehicles sooner. General Motors and LG Energy Solution plan to commercialize lithium-manganese-rich, or LMR, prismatic cells in the United States from 2028, with pre-production expected earlier. The companies say the cells are intended for future electric trucks and full-size SUVs, with a target of more than 400 miles of range for some applications. 373940

LG Energy Solution’s public research material also identifies sodium-ion batteries as a technology planned for commercialization in 2027. The company highlights sodium’s greater availability than lithium and its potential advantages in cost, high-rate performance and low-temperature operation, with possible uses including energy storage and more affordable EVs. 23

Together, these projects point to a diversified path: lower-cost LFP cells, high-energy NMC cells, manganese-rich chemistries and new formats can improve EVs without requiring the industry to wait for a complete solid-state transition.

How competing timelines should be interpreted

Several Chinese battery companies and automakers have announced 2027 targets for solid-state trial production, road testing or demonstration vehicles. CATL and BYD are among those associated with small-scale trial plans, while Geely, Farasis Energy, CALB and Gotion High-Tech have also been linked to pilot or testing targets. 4142

ProLogium has begun construction of a solid-state gigafactory in Dunkirk, France. Its stated roadmap includes an initial production stage followed by a broader ramp, making the project an important test of whether the technology can be produced consistently at much greater volume. 43

These announcements are evidence of active development, but they do not by themselves establish mass-market readiness. A 2027 pilot can produce cells for validation without proving that the same chemistry can meet automotive requirements at high yield, low cost and large scale.

Prototypes show potential, not widespread availability

Automakers are already using prototype programs to test solid-state and semi-solid-state cells. Factorial cells have been used in a Mercedes-Benz EQS prototype, and other manufacturers are evaluating similar technologies in demonstration vehicles. 2153

Prototype testing matters because it can reveal how a cell performs in real vehicle conditions. It is still different from supplying a broadly available production model. The transition requires long-term validation, manufacturing consistency, supply-chain capacity and a business case that works for automakers and buyers.

What this means for the near-term EV market

The most defensible reading of LG Energy Solution’s position is not that solid-state batteries are distant from every application. It is that the first commercial uses may appear in specialized or compact devices, while mass-market EV adoption takes longer because vehicle cells are larger, production volumes are higher and the cost of failure is greater. 113

Some companies may achieve limited commercialization or demonstration vehicles before the end of the decade. LG Energy Solution’s own 2029 target shows that it is continuing to pursue automotive solid-state batteries. 1925 But for most EV buyers through the late 2020s, progress is more likely to come from improved lithium-ion batteries—especially LFP, NMC and manganese-rich designs—than from a sudden industry-wide replacement of today’s cells.

The useful test for future announcements is therefore not only the promised launch year. Look for evidence of large-format yields, cycle life, safety, cost and committed high-volume vehicle production. Until those pieces are demonstrated together, “pilot production” should be treated as an engineering milestone, not proof that solid-state EVs are ready for the mainstream.