WeLion New Energy and its semi-solid-state batteries

卫蓝新能源及其半固态电池

WeLion New Energy is on a quest to make safer, better batteries. The company’s semi-solid-state cells could improve safety and offer greater energy density than lithium-ion batteries to power electric cars, boats, and drones. 卫蓝新能源致力于制造更安全、更优质的电池。该公司的半固态电池有望在为电动汽车、船舶和无人机提供动力时，比锂离子电池提供更高的安全性和能量密度。

From the EVs that carry commuters home to the ships that transport goods across countries, more and more vehicles around us are powered by batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used to power personal devices and vehicles today. But as the need for batteries surges, there’s a growing appetite for cells that can store more energy on a single charge. 从载人通勤的电动汽车到跨国运输货物的船舶，我们周围越来越多的交通工具开始由电池驱动。目前，锂离子电池被广泛用于个人设备和车辆。但随着电池需求的激增，市场对单次充电能存储更多能量的电池需求也日益增长。

Also, in lithium-based batteries the electrolyte, which facilitates ion transfer, uses a flammable liquid that can create a fire hazard. Several companies, including WeLion New Energy, are working to make solid-state cells, which use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one. This could increase the energy density of batteries, as well as improve their safety. 此外，在锂电池中，用于促进离子传输的电解质通常是易燃液体，这会带来火灾隐患。包括卫蓝新能源在内的多家公司正致力于研发固态电池，这种电池使用固体电解质代替液体电解质，从而有望提高电池的能量密度并改善其安全性。

Fully solid-state cells are extremely difficult to manufacture, though. So WeLion currently focuses on developing and producing semi-solid-state cells, which have a part-liquid, part-solid electrolyte. On that front, they have made steady progress. 然而，全固态电池的制造难度极大。因此，卫蓝目前专注于开发和生产半固态电池，即采用部分液体、部分固体电解质的电池。在这方面，他们已经取得了稳步进展。

In 2023, WeLion released a battery pack in partnership with Shanghai-based EV-maker Nio, best known for its battery-swapping technology. The pack had an energy density of 360 watt-hours per kilogram (wh/kg), significantly higher than the 200 wh/kg average for lithium-ion packs today. That translated to a range of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). However, only about 200 of the battery packs were manufactured due to their high production cost, but they are still being used by Nio, WeLion says. 2023年，卫蓝与以换电技术闻名的上海电动汽车制造商蔚来汽车合作，发布了一款电池包。该电池包的能量密度为360瓦时/公斤（wh/kg），远高于目前锂离子电池包平均200 wh/kg的水平，续航里程超过1000公里（621英里）。卫蓝表示，由于生产成本高昂，该电池包仅生产了约200个，但目前仍在使用中。

WeLion has also built batteries to power cargo ships and ferries through a subsidiary. And the company is developing batteries with even higher energy density too. WeLion’s engineers made a semi-solid-state battery that achieved a remarkable energy density of 824 wh/kg during testing in 2025, more than three times that of a standard lithium-ion battery available today. 卫蓝还通过子公司制造了用于货船和渡轮的动力电池。同时，该公司也在开发能量密度更高的电池。卫蓝的工程师在2025年的测试中研发出了一款半固态电池，其能量密度达到了惊人的824 wh/kg，是目前市面上标准锂离子电池的三倍多。

Key indicators / 关键指标

• Industry: Energy storage / 行业： 储能
• Founded: 2016 / 成立时间： 2016年
• Headquarters: Beijing, China / 总部： 中国北京
• Notable fact: WeLion’s cofounders include Chen Liquan, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences who led the development of the country’s first all-solid-state battery back in 1988. / 值得注意的事实： 卫蓝的联合创始人包括中国科学院科学家陈立泉，他曾于1988年领导开发了中国第一块全固态电池。

Potential for impact / 潜在影响

China emits more carbon dioxide than any other country, and its transportation sector accounts for around 10% of that total. Scaling up the production of safer, higher-capacity batteries could help switch more vehicles away from fossil fuels. Batteries that power electric ships could be especially helpful—the carbon dioxide emissions from vessels that move goods along China’s lakes, canals, and rivers are projected to grow by around 25% in this decade alone, reaching 18.7 million metric tons by 2030. 中国的二氧化碳排放量居全球首位，其中交通运输业约占总排放量的10%。扩大更安全、更高容量电池的生产规模，有助于推动更多交通工具摆脱对化石燃料的依赖。为电动船舶提供动力的电池尤为重要——据预测，仅在本十年内，在中国湖泊、运河和河流上运输货物的船舶所产生的二氧化碳排放量将增长约25%，到2030年将达到1870万公吨。

Caveats / 注意事项

One big challenge WeLion faces is scaling up production of its semi-solid-state batteries and competing on cost in a crowded battery market. WeLion says that its semi-solid-state batteries are more expensive than conventional lithium-ion batteries made by larger Chinese battery companies such as CATL. And while laboratory tests showing high energy density are impressive, it can be difficult to translate laboratory results to the real world. The company declined to give more details about the experimental results from its 2025 prototype, which it says is far from commercialization. Key details remain unclear, including how many times the cell can be charged and discharged and how capacity degrades over its lifetime. 卫蓝面临的一大挑战是如何扩大半固态电池的生产规模，并在竞争激烈的电池市场中保持成本竞争力。卫蓝表示，其半固态电池比宁德时代等大型中国电池企业生产的传统锂离子电池更昂贵。虽然实验室测试显示的高能量密度令人印象深刻，但将实验室成果转化为实际应用并非易事。该公司拒绝透露其2025年原型产品的更多实验细节，并表示该产品距离商业化还有很长的路要走。关键细节仍不明确，包括电池的充放电循环次数以及在整个生命周期内的容量衰减情况。

Next steps / 下一步计划

WeLion plans to bring a new semi-solid-state battery for drones to market with an energy density of 410 wh/kg by the end of this year. It also intends to introduce its first all-solid-state battery for cars in 2027, which is expected to have an energy density of 400 wh/kg. Two inland cargo ships powered by WeLion’s batteries are expected to launch in October 2026 in Huzhou, a city in eastern China. The battery pack of each of these ships will be able to carry nearly 4,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough for them to sail for up to 250 kilometers (155 miles), the company says. Today, WeLion has an annual manufacturing capacity of 11 gigawatt-hours (GWh) spread between four production bases in China. Two additional plants with a combined yearly capacity of 18 GWh are under construction. 卫蓝计划在今年年底前推出一款能量密度为410 wh/kg的新型无人机半固态电池。公司还打算在2027年推出首款汽车用全固态电池，预计能量密度为400 wh/kg。两艘由卫蓝电池驱动的内河货船预计将于2026年10月在中国东部城市湖州下水。卫蓝表示，每艘船的电池包容量将接近4000千瓦时，足以支持其航行长达250公里（155英里）。目前，卫蓝在中国拥有四个生产基地，年产能为11吉瓦时（GWh）。另有两家工厂正在建设中，建成后年产能将增加18吉瓦时。