Blog
MG4 with semi-solid-state battery arriving Aug 5
The head of MG, Chen Cui, just told everyone that their updated MG4 electric car will be the first regular car you can buy that uses a new type of battery called semi-solid-state. The car will come out on August 5 and will have other improvements too.
The biggest change is definitely the battery. The MG4 will use a battery made by a company called QingTao Energy. This battery only has 5% liquid inside it (most batteries have way more liquid). They tested it really hard to make sure it’s safe, even poking holes in it from all sides.
This new battery works 13% better when it’s cold outside (around 19°F below zero). The car can go 537 kilometers on one charge according to Chinese testing rules. The battery holds 70 kWh of power and stores about 180 Wh per kilogram – that’s about the same as the regular batteries most electric cars use now.
Even though the MG4 will probably be the first normal car you can buy with this semi-solid-state battery, it’s not the first car to try it. Another company called Nio tested it in their ET5 car and got 958 kilometers from a much bigger 150 kWh battery, which isn’t that great. Since the MG4 gets 537 kilometers from a 70 kWh battery, it looks like this new battery technology still needs a lot of work.
Besides the new battery, the MG4 will have a completely new entertainment system that MG made with Oppo (the phone company). You can control it by talking to it, making hand gestures, or connecting your phone. In China, the MG4 will probably cost between 80,000 and 120,000 yuan (that’s about €9,400 to €14,000), depending on which version you buy.