SEVB bets on AI to reshape batteries

Chinese power battery provider Sunwoda Mobility Energy Technology Co is turning to artificial intelligence to redefine its products and cut costs as the electric vehicle battery sector grapples with overcapacity and intense price competition.

At its first tech day in Beijing on Thursday, the company announced it would leverage AI across R&D, manufacturing and quality control to transform batteries from passive energy containers into "smart energy bodies" that think, communicate and manage themselves.

By building a battery digital twin, for example, AI simulates thousands of process parameters virtually to find optimal materials, designs and formulas at the nanoscale.

"AI is not an option, it's a matter of survival," said Wang Mingwang, founder of parent company Sunwoda Group. He stressed that the integration of AI and batteries has shifted from a "nice to have" to a battle for survival in the industry.

Guided by the strategy, SEVB unveiled a multi-scenario battery portfolio, showcasing its technological footprint across eight areas from HEV hybrid batteries to lithium-metal and ultra-low-temperature sodium batteries, alongside eight new battery products.

It is also eyeing emerging sectors such as energy storage, robotics and the low-altitude economy, where it has developed prototype semi-solid-state batteries with energy densities of up to 380 Wh/kg.

SEVB also launched the Battery Passport platform in 2025, a mandatory digital record containing lifecycle, carbon footprint and supply chain data as required by the EU, to better serve Chinese automakers going abroad and overseas automakers.

Consumer electronics batteries including those for smartphones, laptops, power banks and small power devices account for about 50 percent of the group's revenue, followed by power batteries at 30 percent, while the share of energy storage is still rising, said Liang Rui, Sunwoda's vice-president.