Gasgoo Munich- As the commercialization of humanoid robots accelerates, global new energy giants are diving in—battery makers like CATL, BYD, and EVE Energy have already staked their claim. At the same time, a two-way smart manufacturing revolution is quietly unfolding at the intersection of new energy and artificial intelligence.
Amid this transformation, a closing industrial loop is taking shape: battery companies act as both power providers for robots—supplying their "power hearts"—and testing grounds, validating and feeding back into technical iterations on the production line. Robots, meanwhile, serve as both the "product output" for battery firms, carrying the energy standards for the next generation of intelligent terminals, and as "production tools," reshaping manufacturing paradigms with human-like intelligence.
Robot "Employees" Clock In on Battery Lines
Just recently, at Guangdong's High-Quality Development Conference, EVE Energy revealed that two types of "robot employees" began taking shifts for testing starting in March—a move toward using robots to build batteries for robots.
Specifically, EVE Energy has chosen a "scenario-defined product" approach. Its robots fall into two categories: AI digital robot employees and physical robot employees. The two collaborate and support each other, handling tasks ranging from demand coordination to execution.
According to Xiao Gang, director of the Robot Institute at EVE Energy Co., Ltd., "Battery manufacturing processes have certainty in their overall framework, but detailed parameters like battery size, capacity, and energy density carry uncertainty. We have found a balance point in using AI plus robots to adapt to production, right between process certainty and parameter uncertainty."
Earlier, at the power battery PACK production line in CATL's Zhongzhou base, the humanoid robot "Xiao Mo" was already participating in high-voltage risk testing processes. It is reported that "Xiao Mo" was developed by Spirit AI, a company in CATL's ecosystem, and is equipped with CATL's self-developed battery—a result of industrial chain collaboration.
Image Source: Spirit AI
A CATL representative stated that putting robots directly on industrial production lines is a critical step in verifying their stability in complex environments—a major milestone in moving from the laboratory to real-world industrial scenarios.
"Xiao Mo" handles the EOL (End of Line) and DCR (Direct Current Resistance) testing procedures before battery packs leave the line. These steps have long relied on manual labor—workers need to precisely insert test plugs carrying hundreds of volts into designated positions on the battery pack. This not only poses safety risks of high-voltage arcing but also faces challenges regarding efficiency and inconsistent quality.
The introduction of "Xiao Mo" has completely changed this situation. Equipped with an advanced end-to-end Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model, it possesses powerful environmental perception and task generalization capabilities. It can autonomously handle uncertainties such as deviations in material position and changes in insertion points, adjusting its operating posture in real time. When plugging and unplugging flexible wire harnesses, it dynamically regulates force to ensure reliable connections without damaging components.
Actual operational data shows that "Xiao Mo's" insertion success rate remains stable above 99%; its daily workload has tripled; and it can automatically adapt to point deviations and flexibility changes in wire harnesses.
Battery Makers Forge a "Power Heart" for Robots
As robots enter battery production lines, battery companies are also tailoring a "power heart" specifically for them.
Liu Jingyu, a deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman of CALB, showcased a special battery during this year's "Two Sessions"—a vehicle-grade 60 Ah large-capacity all-solid-state battery. She revealed that as a leading company in China advancing solid-state battery layouts, CALB has taken the lead in building an industry-leading automotive all-solid-state production line. By 2025, the company aims to complete development of solid-state batteries for robots and aircraft, with an energy density reaching 450+ Wh/kg. Mass delivery for a batch of 1,000 robots is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.
"The takeoff of the low-altitude economy and the entry of humanoid robots—every track is a trillion-yuan market, and their large-scale application cannot be separated from power support featuring high energy density and high safety," Liu stated. "As representatives of new energy enterprises, we see the application prospects of solid-state batteries in future industries like the low-altitude economy and robotics, and we have been actively conducting R&D to realize these applications."
The demand for batteries by robots differs significantly from traditional power batteries. According to TrendForce predictions, demand for solid-state batteries for humanoid robots is expected to exceed 74 GWh by 2035—more than a thousand-fold increase from 2026. Currently, humanoid robots mainly carry liquid lithium batteries, with high-nickel ternary lithium batteries becoming the mainstream choice due to their relatively high energy density. However, limited by the energy density of liquid lithium batteries and factors like robot torso space and weight, the endurance of most products is concentrated between 2 and 4 hours.
Image Source: EVE Energy
Kaiyuan Securities points out that there is a growing consensus that batteries for robots need ultra-high energy density, high discharge rates, high safety, long life, and wide temperature range adaptability. A breakthrough in battery technology, the firm notes, will be the key to unlocking the future of humanoid robots.
It is reported that by 2025, multiple battery companies—including CATL, EVE Energy, Farasis Energy, Jiangsu Reliance Energy Tech. Co., Ltd., Sunwoda, LG Energy Solution, SVOLT, Panasonic Energy, and BAK Power Battery—have all launched deep strategic layouts for humanoid robot batteries.
Farasis Energy revealed last year that "the company has completed sample delivery of sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries to a top-tier humanoid robot customer; we are also continuously aligning on solid-state battery requirements with several other leading humanoid robot companies, and project progress is smooth." EVE Energy, for its part, has launched the G26P power-type and G26Q energy-type cells. The former supports 9-minute extreme fast charging to meet the needs of high-load robot operations, while the latter boasts a high energy density of 310 Wh/kg to satisfy the power requirements for long-duration continuous robot work.
