There’s a race going on in the EV world right now. No, we’re not talking about power or torque here. Instead, it’s the race to come up with the first series production solid-state batteries. Solid-state batteries are said to be a game changer for EVs as it significantly speeds up charging times while further extending range.
Several automakers have said they’re preparing such batteries for their future EVs. Some noteworthy examples include Toyota, BMW, Nissan, and a whole heap of Chinese automakers. Whoever gets their car out first could change the motoring world.
Now, it seems that British-Chinese automaker MG that might be ahead. That’s because the company has claimed that its next-gen MG 4 will be available with solid-state batteries. Making that a bold statement is the fact that the redesigned MG 4 is ready to be released in its home market. There is a small caveat to that, though, but we’ll get to that later.
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MG initially previewed the all-new MG 4 a few months ago, but didn’t of much into detail. This time around, the company has given out more specs just before its rollout in China. It’s a huge departure from the current model with its more mature appearance.
Whether the new styling direction is a good call or not is up for debate, but we will miss the sporty and aggressive look of the present version. But aside from the exterior, the car itself has shifted its drive wheels around. No longer rear-wheel drive, this one now front-wheel drive. Its underchassis has also been simplified from an independent rear suspension to a torsion beam like one would get in a Corolla Altis or Vios.
Now for the important bit, the powertrain. There are no more sporty versions around, so don’t expect a 400hp pocket rocket model. Instead, all variants use a front-mounted single motor that makes 161hp and 250Nm. It makes slightly less power than the one we tested before, as that one made 168hp, but torque is still at 250Nm.
So, where does the battery come in? Well, the first batch of models will have lithium-ion batteries. No specs have been given yet, but MG claims a range between 437km and 530km, depending on the battery pack installed. Also, the solid-state battery is more like a semi-solid-state battery. It’s not full solid-state just yet, but this half step is still a significant development in the EV world.
MG will release the semi-solid-state version of the MG 4 in September. By then, there will be more details about it. We’re curious how much more range it will gain from this new battery composition, as well as its charging times.
