The CATL headquarter. Credit: CATL Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member Li Auto confirmed that its proprietary battery technology will be integrated across its entire vehicle lineup starting from September 7th. The in-house battery rollout plan Li Auto’s proprietary batteries are already featured in the Li L8, Li L6, and Li i8. The company has outlined a rollout plan for the fourth quarter of 2026: Li Mega Home: According to Li Auto, due to higher-than-expected order volumes, current reserves of CATL 5C ternary lithium batteries are nearly exhausted. Orders locked in from 3:00 PM on September 7 will be equipped with Li Auto’s proprietary 5C ternary lithium batteries, with deliveries expected to begin in November. Li i9: Set to debut in mid-September, this new flagship family SUV will initially launch with CATL batteries, transitioning to Li Auto’s proprietary 5C batteries once production capacity ramps up. 2026 Li i6: Launching in the fourth quarter, the 2026 model will feature both the proprietary 5C battery and the self-developed Mach chip. Pre-orders open in late September, with deliveries scheduled for early November. Sunwoda EVB. Credit: Sunwoda EVB Investing in Sunwoda Earlier this month, Li Auto announced a strategic investment of 2.65 billion yuan (389.7 million USD) into Sunwoda EVB, a subsidiary of Sunwoda Electronic. Upon completion of the transaction, Li Auto will hold an 8.79% stake in Sunwoda EVB, bringing its total indirect ownership to 11.17% and making it the second-largest shareholder. This investment deepens a partnership that began in 2017. Under the current “in-house” model, Li Auto defines the product specifications, leads the development of cell materials, structures, and BMS, while Sunwoda acts as the contract manufacturer for the cells. “Battery technology is not a commodity,” said Liu Zhimin, Senior Director of Power Batteries at Li Auto. “By controlling the underlying design and manufacturing standards, we ensure both the certainty of supply and the ability to innovate rapidly to meet user needs.” In summary, while the first batch of Li i9 models will still feature CATL batteries, this signals that Li Auto is parting ways with CATL. Li Auto used to be one of CATL’s major clients, as recently as April this year, it was their fourth-largest customer for EV batteries. Li i9. Credit: Li Auto Editor’s comment Li Auto isn’t the first to part ways with CATL. A few years ago, Xpeng already stopped using CATL batteries, and Xiaomi’s newly launched SkyNomad N70 and N90 don’t use them either. However, CATL is also gaining new customers: for instance, Leapmotor, whose sales have topped 100,000 units for two consecutive months, previously didn’t use many CATL batteries due to cost constraints, but its high-end D-series launched this year uses CATL batteries across the entire range. Most important news in your inbox. Recaps · scheduled All you need, in one email. Instant alerts · real-time Ping me when an article goes live. 0 of 27 topics selected Bundle into one email per day — instead of one email per article No spam · Unsubscribe with one click · Change settings anytime
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