Solid‑state production moves
CATL reportedly secured a new patent and a large copper‑foil supply as it advances solid‑state battery pilot work, and ION Storage Systems just won customer approval to move toward mass production. [](https://www.electrive.com/2026/03/13/catl-makes-progress-on-its-solid-state-battery/) [](https://www.tomorrowsworldtoday.com/manufacturing/solid-state-battery-gets-customer-approval-for-mass-production/) Those two steps could meaningfully accelerate solid‑state adoption for EVs and consumer devices if scale and cost lines up. [](https://www.electrive.com/2026/03/13/catl-makes-progress-on-its-solid-state-battery/)
A WIPO filing PCT/CN2025/086345 published) on March 5, 2026 names the document “Positive Electrode Sheet, Solid‑State Battery Cell…” and details a positive‑electrode active material and sulfide‑electrolyte approach CATL is pursuing. carnewschina.com CATL’s supply strategy includes a November 4, 2025 framework agreement with Guangdong Jiayuan Technology that reserves 626,000 tonnes of copper‑foil capacity for 2026–2028, a deal media reports value at roughly 66 billion yuan. mysteel.net ION Storage Systems announced on March 10, 2026 that its Cornerstone™ cell passed customer performance qualification announced), saying production will begin at its Maryland facility with expansion as volumes ramp. ionstoragesystems.com Reporting ties CATL’s filings and supply moves to a publicly stated 500 Wh/kg energy‑density goal and a small‑volume pilot target for 2027 reported), while ION confirmed it has shipped sample Cornerstone cells to industrial, consumer‑electronics and automotive customers as part of its qualification process reported).
