Over 20 automakers are "diving into" the humanoid robot arena! Lithium companies are positioning themselves to "flex their muscles."

Since 2025, the global auto industry has been undergoing an unprecedented wave of cross-sector challenges.

According to incomplete statistics, more than 20 domestic and foreign car companies, including XPeng, GAC, Xiaomi, BYD, Chery, SAIC, Changan, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Honda, General Motors, etc., have announced their entry into the humanoid robot field or disclosed their research and development progress on humanoid robots, forming a wave of cross-border trend among car companies.

In terms of the market, Morgan Stanley's research report believes that humanoid robots will become one of the largest themes in technology investment in the next decade. Goldman Sachs predicts that by 2035, the market size of humanoid robots is expected to reach 154 billion USD, equivalent to over 1.1 trillion RMB.

In this race to dominate the future industries, with advantages such as the shared technological origins between electric vehicle batteries and humanoid robot batteries, power battery companies are accelerating the humanoid robot industry into the fast lane.

"Integrated Deep Integration of Automobiles and Robots"

In the field of humanoid robot development, several automakers have already made significant progress:

On the domestic front, GAC Group has unveiled its third-generation humanoid robot, GoMate; Xiaopeng's Iron humanoid robot has already been deployed in its factories, with plans to mass-produce L3-level humanoid robots for industrial use next year. Aimoga, a subsidiary of Chery Automobile, has introduced the humanoid robot Mornine, which is now operational at Chery's 4S stores in Malaysia. Xiaomi's team has launched the humanoid robot CyberOne, with the first batch of mass-produced robots set to be initially deployed in its factories. Additionally, Xiaomi Group has invested in the robotics company Unitree Robotics.

BYD not only made a strategic investment in Zhiyuan Robotics, but it is also reported to have launched a humanoid robot project internally codenamed "Yao Shun Yu"; SAIC Capital participated in Zhiyuan Robotics' A3 round of strategic financing; Changan Automobile recently initiated an open supplier sourcing for its humanoid robot R&D project, planning to invest over 50 billion yuan in the next five years and release its first humanoid robot product by 2027; NIO has assembled a team to research robotic dog projects; Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, stated that the company will 100% enter the humanoid robot field; Seres established a subsidiary, Chongqing Phoenix Technology Co., Ltd., whose business scope includes the R&D of intelligent robots.

Overseas, Tesla CEO Musk said that its humanoid robot Optimus will enter the trial production stage this year, with a planned production of 5,000 units; the target is to reach an annual production of 50,000 units by 2026; Mercedes-Benz is testing the humanoid robot Apollo at its Berlin factory for picking parts, assisting in assembly, etc., and has invested tens of millions of euros in its manufacturing company Apptronik.

Behind the automakers' fervent push into humanoid robots, there may be the following reasons:

Firstly, autonomous driving and human-like robots are highly homologous in technology, with some parts being reusable, and the entire machine's perception, planning, and control technologies can be reused or referenced.

Secondly, the automotive market is fiercely competitive, and car manufacturers urgently need to find new business growth points, with humanoid robots being seen as a breakthrough.

Once again, humanoid robots are widely applicable, not limited to factory automation, and will enter households, services, retail, and many other fields on a large scale in the future, with enormous development potential.

"The combination of 'automobile + robot' not only reflects the forward-looking layout of automobile companies towards future technology but also demonstrates the possibility of deep integration between the automobile and robotics industries."

Multiple battery companies showcase their strength

The industry generally believes that 2025 will mark the year of large-scale application for humanoid robots. It is worth noting that the development of humanoid robots relies heavily on high-performance batteries, and lithium battery companies are also showcasing their strengths and accelerating their layout in this emerging field.

The humanoid robot market has extremely strict requirements for batteries, which must simultaneously meet multiple demands such as high energy density, high power, long endurance, high discharge rate, high safety, impact resistance, and wide temperature range.

In the battery industry, it is reported that EVE Energy has engaged with multiple leading humanoid robotics companies and automotive clients. Their application products cover humanoid robots, robotic dogs, and more. In response to customer demands for high energy density, safety, fast charging, or battery swapping, EVE Energy has proposed corresponding battery solutions and has already delivered and assembled samples for some clients.

It is worth mentioning that EVE Energy Co., Ltd. has renamed its subsidiary Huizhou Jinyuan Precision Automation Equipment Co., Ltd. to Huizhou Jinyuan Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd., and the business scope has been expanded to include "research and development of intelligent robots," among other things.

Farasis Energy recently revealed that its second-generation semi-solid-state battery has an energy density exceeding 330 Wh/kg, with a cycle life of over 4,000 cycles. It boasts advantages such as high energy density, high safety, and lightweight. It is scheduled for mass production in 2025 and is expected to be commercially applied first in areas such as the low-altitude economy and human-shaped robots.

The company has already engaged with leading domestic humanoid robot enterprises regarding their solid-state battery needs and is conducting customized development based on client requirements. The progress is currently smooth, with samples expected to be delivered by 2025.

Recently, according to Ruipu L jun's disclosure, the all-solid-state cells developed by them are expected to exceed 400Wh/kg in energy density. In the future, these products will be widely applied in passenger vehicles as well as new fields such as low-altitude aircraft and robots.

On March 25, at the mass production launch of the Ruin New Energy 21700-5.0AH battery with no-leads, Ruin New Energy released the RS50 series battery featuring a "9-series ultra-high nickel cathode + silicon-carbon composite anode" system, with a cell energy density exceeding 270Wh/kg. They also entered into a collaboration with Hangzhou Hikvision Machine Intelligence, initiating a deep integration of "new energy + intelligent robots."

Blue Lithium once revealed that Unitree Robotics is its customer in the field of lithium battery applications for robots/robotic dogs. Sunwoda also stated that its battery products can be used in robots and maintains close attention to emerging markets.

Although CATL seldom discloses its stance and R&D situation regarding batteries for robots, it has been reported recently that the company has formed a team in Shanghai to focus on industrial robot research and development and plans to invest in a humanoid robot company, which also provides more food for thought for the industry.

In terms of battery technology, Funeng Technology believes that humanoid robots are on the verge of mass production, and the battery solutions currently used have a relatively small charge capacity, with most only capable of sustaining operation for less than 2 hours. Looking ahead, when humanoid robots are widely applied in industrial or daily scenarios, the endurance time is expected to be increased to 8-12 hours, which will further raise the requirements for battery cell capacity and single-unit charge capacity. At that time, small-capacity consumer batteries may struggle to meet the demand, and it is anticipated that solid-state batteries with a soft package will become one of the main technical solutions for humanoid robot batteries.

According to relevant forecasts, the global humanoid robot market is poised for explosive growth, with the total number of units expected to reach 3 billion by 2060.

In the 2025 government work report, our country proposed to vigorously develop new-generation smart terminals such as intelligent robots, as well as intelligent manufacturing equipment. This not only presses the fast-forward button for the development of China's robotics industry but also drives breakthroughs in battery technology innovation. Frontline battery technologies like solid-state batteries are presented with market positioning opportunities and are expected to spur the research, development, and application of new materials such as solid electrolytes.

Additionally, power battery companies and automakers have a long-term cooperative foundation, which provides trust and convenience for expanding collaboration in the humanoid robot field and will further deepen their ties. Currently, optimizing the balance between cost, performance, and market demand for humanoid robot batteries will be a key factor influencing the future installation volume of battery companies.