China saw 482.9 MWh of semi-solid batteries installed in May, up 30.9 percent from 369.0 MWh in April, with WeLion the sole contributor, according to an industry association.

Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology, a supplier of semi-solid batteries to Nio (NYSE: NIO), saw a roughly 31 percent increase in battery installations last month, latest data showed.

In May, China saw 482.9 MWh of semi-solid batteries installed, up 30.9 percent from 369.0 MWh in April, with WeLion the sole contributor, according to data released on June 14 by the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).

In the January-May period, China's semi-solid battery installations amounted to 1,621.8 MWh, with WeLion also being the sole contributor, according to CABIA.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Beijing, WeLion delivered its first 360 Wh/kg semi-solid battery cells to Nio on June 30, 2023, for the latter's 150-kWh battery pack.

WeLion's 482.9 MWh installed in May could be used to make about 3,200 units of 150-kWh battery packs, a rough calculation shows.

It's worth noting that Nio apparently wouldn't add that many 150-kWh packs in May, though it has been building semi-solid-state batteries jointly with WeLion for the past several years, and Nio's senior vice president, Zeng Shuxiang, is a director of WeLion.

Deliveries of WeLion's 360 Wh/kg high energy density power battery cells to Nio had begun in late 2023, and the company has been the supplier of choice for a number of leading automakers, according to information on the startup's website.

In addition, WeLion's products include batteries with an energy density of 320 Wh/kg for use in drones, robots, and portable power sources, as well as 280 Ah energy storage cells, according to information on its website.

Nio unveiled the 150-kWh semi-solid-state battery when it launched the ET7 sedan at the January 9, 2021 Nio Day 2020 event.

The pack began trial operations in May after several delays, and went into formal operations this month on a daily rental basis.

Nio conducted several range challenges with the pack late last year and earlier this year, showing that the ET7 was able to achieve a range of more than 1,000 kilometers on a single charge with the pack.

Solid-state batteries are now highly anticipated by multiple countries, and the Chinese government has reportedly begun to support research and development in this area as well.

China is likely to spend around RMB 6 billion ($827 million) on all-solid-state battery research and development, state-owned China Daily said in a May 29 report, citing multiple sources.

Six companies, including CATL, BYD, China FAW Group, SAIC Motor Corp, WeLion and Geely Auto Group, will likely receive basic R&D support from the government, the report said.

($1 = RMB 7.2560)

Nio to start formal operations of 150-kWh ultra-long-range battery pack on Jun 1