Solid-state battery cars now start at RMB 100,000. What you can buy, and whether 1,000 km is worth it

Solid-state packs have moved from the RMB 300,000 class into the RMB 100,000 class. What you can buy or rent in volume today is still a hybrid solid-liquid battery. The MG4 semi-solid Anxin trim lists at RMB 102,800. The previous IM L6 Guangnian edition used a 123.7 kWh pack for a 1,002 km CLTC rating. CATL and BYD have put small-batch all-solid production around 2027. [C11][C2][C8][C9]

On 28 August, the new IM L6 went on sale from RMB 219,900. The high-spec versions shown before launch offered 76 kWh and 93 kWh packs. The 1,002 km Guangnian solid-state pack from the previous generation is not in the new presale lineup. [C1]

The last three years went in three steps. Early Voyah Passion cars used an 82 kWh semi-solid pack with 580 km CLTC. In 2024, the IM L6 Guangnian edition and NIO's 150 kWh pack pushed rated range to 1,000 km. Late in 2025, the MG4 semi-solid Anxin trim pushed the price into the RMB 100,000 class, and the 2026 model is still on sale. [C13][C2][C6][C11]

Three products you can actually get

The first is the MG4 semi-solid Anxin trim.

The 2026 model's official MSRP is RMB 102,800. Limited launch and auto-show discounts have taken the promotional price below RMB 100,000. The pack is 53.9 kWh, with 530 km CLTC. The ordinary ZhiQu trim with the same 530 km rating lists at RMB 96,800, about RMB 6,000 less on MSRP. [C11]

SAIC says the MG4's manganese-based hybrid solid-liquid battery cuts liquid electrolyte to about 5 percent, uses an oxide-and-polymer composite, and has gone through pack tests including nail penetration, crush, salt water, high and low temperature, and fire. The safety and low-temperature figures come from the carmaker and those test programs. [C12][C16]

The second is the IM L6 Guangnian edition.

The previous generation listed at RMB 345,900, with a launch promotional price of RMB 325,900. MIIT filings show 123.7 kWh, a 621 kg pack, and 1,002 km CLTC. Qingtao Energy has said the pack includes about 10 percent wetting liquid to improve ion transport, which puts it in the hybrid solid-liquid class under China's auto standards committee categories. [C15][C2][C3][C7]

The 1,000 km rating starts with a pack larger than 120 kWh. The new L6 presale is built around 76 kWh and 93 kWh. The 93 kWh version is rated 850 km CLTC. [C1][C2]

The third is NIO's 150 kWh pack.

Drivers keep a 75 kWh or 100 kWh pack for daily use and rent the 150 kWh pack before a long trip. Pick it up in one city and return it anywhere on the swap network.

Upgrading from 75 kWh costs RMB 150 a day for the first seven days. From 100 kWh it is RMB 100 a day.

After seven days the daily rate rises by RMB 50. Swap service fees are extra.

Two days from a 75 kWh pack is RMB 300 in upgrade fees, plus swap fees. [C4][C5]

William Li drove an ET7 with the 150 kWh pack 1,044 km in more than 14 hours, at 13.2 kWh/100 km, and finished with 3 percent remaining. NIO has said the pack costs about as much as an ET5 that started at RMB 298,000, which is why it is rented, not sold. [C14][C6]

The same solid-state label, different electrolytes

China's auto standards committee classifies packs by which electrolyte carries the ions. Liquid ion transport is a liquid battery. Liquid and solid together is a hybrid solid-liquid battery; semi-solid is the common name. Ions carried by a solid electrolyte make a solid-state battery; all-solid is the common name. [C7]

The MG4, the IM L6 Guangnian edition, and NIO's 150 kWh pack are all hybrid solid-liquid. MG4's public figure is about 5 percent liquid electrolyte. IM added about 10 percent wetting liquid. NIO's 150 kWh pack uses a hybrid solid-liquid system from WeLion. The liquid share and the materials are not the same. [C12][C3][C7]

Solid electrolytes also split into polymer, oxide, and sulfide. Polymer conductivity and high-voltage stability are limited. Oxide is hard, and interface contact is difficult. Sulfide conducts well but is sensitive to air and moisture, so manufacturing is stricter. [C7]

A 1,000 km rating starts with how much energy is in the car

The IM L6 Guangnian edition is 123.7 kWh. NIO's pack is 150 kWh. A 1,000 km-class rating first requires that much energy on board. Energy density decides how much energy fits in a given volume and weight. The rated distance is still pack energy multiplied by the test cycle. [C2][C6]

CLTC follows GB/T 18386.1-2021. It measures how far the car goes on a set cycle in a set environment. Sustained highway speed, cold weather, cabin heat, a full load, and a headwind sit outside that cycle. Li's 1,044 km run averaged 83.9 km/h at 13.2 kWh/100 km. That was a long-distance road test. The conditions are not the same as laboratory CLTC. [C10][C14]

2027 is the small-batch date

In 2024, Wu Kai scored CATL's all-solid maturity at 4, with a target of 7 to 8 by 2027. He judged small-batch production more likely in 2027, with cost still limiting large-scale output. In 2025 the company said again that small-batch production could arrive in 2027. [C8][C9]

BYD's public timetable is to start batch demonstration vehicles around 2027, with large-scale production around 2030. [C9]