China launches mass production of drone batteries 50% more efficient than conventional ones
Drone Industry
Chinese company Eve Energy has announced the start of mass production of solid-state batteries.
The first to benefit from the new technology will be drones and robotics — the segments most sensitive to gains in energy density and heat tolerance, iLenta reported, citing the company’s press service.
At the new site in Chengdu, the company is already producing 10 Ah cells using a sulfide electrolyte. They can be assembled into 60 Ah modules — a solution suitable for drones, humanoid robots such as Tesla Optimus, and certain smart devices.
The stated energy density reaches 300 Wh/kg, which is significantly higher than typical lithium-ion battery figures (about 200 Wh/kg). In addition, solid-state cells are more resistant to overheating and operate more stably in extreme conditions. While such batteries are still too expensive for electric vehicles, they are already a practical option for UAVs and robots.
By 2026, the Chengdu plant plans to reach an annual capacity of 100 MWh and introduce even higher-capacity batteries — up to 400 Wh/kg.
Earlier reports noted that AI sufficient for the mass deployment of humanoid robots remains a key challenge for the sector.
Market estimates suggest the industry is one to three years away from a "ChatGPT-like" moment, akin to OpenAI’s 2022 breakthrough when the chatbot became an instant hit and turned AI into an everyday term.
