Chinese maker of semi-solid EV batteries reports delivery jump amid range rivalry

Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology, a maker of semi-solid-state batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), reported a jump in delivery volume last month, the latest sign that Chinese EV builders are incorporating advanced technology to extend the driving range of their premium models.

The company, backed by Shanghai-based EV producer Nio, supplied 482.9 megawatt hours (MWh) of batteries to carmakers in May, up 30.9 per cent from a month earlier, according to the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance.

WeLion's 150-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery packs enable Nio to build EVs that can go as far as 1,000km on a single charge, and WeLion's monthly delivery number translates to 3,200 of the 150kWh batteries.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

"Battery technology is the most powerful weapon to propel the rise of the Chinese EV sector," said Qian Kang, who owns car components businesses in East China's Zhejiang province. "A wider use of the most advanced solid-state battery will eventually help the major assemblers move up the value chain when their high-performance cars with longer ranges attract more wealthy customers."

Solid-state batteries are deemed a better option than batteries based on liquid electrolytes, which most EV makers use at present, because of safety, reliability and efficiency reasons. However, they require higher development and production costs. No fully solid-state EV batteries have been commercialised.

WeLion's semi-solid-state ­batteries add liquid to solid electrolytes, which can also improve performance. The company, mainland China's only provider of such batteries for EVs, also supplies major Chinese carmakers besides Nio, according to its website. It did not name the clients.

At the beginning of 2021, Nio announced that the extended edition of its ET7 sedan would go as far as 1,000km on a charge, powered by a 150kWh solid-state battery pack. It did not reveal the name of the supplier at the time.

WeLion began delivering its high-density semi-solid-state batteries to Nio in mid-2023.

Other Chinese carmakers, including Guangzhou-headquartered GAC Group and Shanghai-based IM Motors, are also building vehicles fitted with semi-solid-state batteries. The batteries can also be used in drones and robots.

Last month, Chery Automobile, a Chinese state-owned carmaker that ships half of its total output overseas, said it is keen on adopting solid-state batteries to differentiate its products and accelerate its transition from petrol vehicles to electric cars.

Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery, said at a briefing in Heifei, capital of east China's Anhui province, on May 17 that the company planned to be the first to use EV battery producer Gotion High-Tech's solid-state batteries when they start mass production.

Gotion, the fourth-largest EV battery manufacturer in mainland China and eighth-largest worldwide, has not announced when mass production of its solid-state batteries will start.

Chinese players such as Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) dominate the global EV battery industry, with the country's top six companies controlling more than 60 per cent of the global market, according to Seoul-based SNE Research.

The mainland is also the world's largest EV market, with electric car sales accounting for 60 per cent of the global total.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.