Power Battery Enters Multi-Core Era Amidst Intensified Tech Competition at 2025 Shanghai Auto Show

At the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (referred to as “2025 Shanghai Auto Show”), automotive and parts manufacturers showcased new technologies and products related to power systems, marking the beginning of a new round of competition in this field. Zhang Xiang, a visiting professor at Huanghe Science and Technology College, stated in an interview with China Securities Daily that driven by the “dual carbon” goals, the competition in power systems has evolved into a complex game across the entire industry chain and various scenarios. This includes advancements from solid-state battery commercialization to innovations in multi-core batteries, and from optimizing traditional internal combustion engines to exploring diverse options like hydrogen and methanol fuels.

Showcasing Innovations

At this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, power battery companies prominently displayed their latest technologies and products. Hunan EVE Energy Co., Ltd. showcased its patent layout in large cylindrical batteries, featuring a series of cutting-edge technologies including OMNI all-purpose batteries, open-source batteries, aircraft batteries, robotic batteries, and automotive electronic batteries. Honeycomb Energy Technology Co., Ltd. introduced the Fortress Off-Road Battery designed for new energy off-road vehicles, which attracted significant attention due to its “bulletproof-grade” safety performance. China Innovation Aviation Technology Group Co., Ltd. presented high-performance batteries along with comprehensive system solutions, while BYD Co., Ltd. unveiled its sulfide all-solid-state battery models, “Hai Lion 07EV” and “Starship.”

From a technological perspective, power battery companies are making advancements in solid-state batteries, high-nickel ternary batteries, and lithium iron phosphate batteries. High-nickel ternary batteries are widely used in high-end models due to their high energy density. In contrast, lithium iron phosphate batteries hold significant positions in mid-range and low-end models as well as in energy storage applications due to their safety and cost advantages. Solid-state batteries are viewed as the next generation of power batteries, with several companies achieving important breakthroughs.

While leading companies compete to advance solid-state battery technology, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) introduced a differentiated new technology path at the auto show, highlighting several new products, among which the Xiaoyao Dual-Core Battery became a focal point. This product is based on a “dual-core architecture” breakthrough. CATL’s chairman, Zeng Yuqun, remarked, “Solid-state batteries are not the ‘solution’; dual-core and multi-core are.” A CATL representative explained that the dual-core battery combines different chemical systems (such as sodium-ion, lithium iron phosphate, and ternary lithium batteries) to balance low-temperature performance, endurance, fast charging, and safety. For example, a sodium-iron dual-core battery can maintain over 80% power output at extreme low temperatures (-30℃), while the “iron-iron dual-core battery” has improved energy density to 280Wh/kg through structural optimization, meeting stringent standards such as “no fire or explosion” after high-speed collisions. The “dual ternary” combination can even allow a sedan with a 3-meter wheelbase to achieve a range of 1500 km.

According to an anonymous industry insider, the entry of power batteries into the “multi-core era” signifies a shift from competition based on single materials to a collaborative phase of diverse systems, with the core logic of multi-core technology focusing on “scenario adaptation.” This represents a transition for new energy vehicles from “functional homogenization” to “scenario personalization.” The innovative architecture from dual-core to multi-core is expected to extend beyond the new energy passenger vehicle sector, impacting electric buses, heavy trucks, aircraft, and ships, thus accelerating the industrialization of new energy across all scenarios.

Intensifying Market Competition

As various power technologies advance, including sodium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and alcohol fuel technologies, market competition is becoming increasingly fierce. At this auto show, CATL officially launched its sodium battery. This sodium-ion battery breaks through the limits of material performance and is set for mass production, significantly reducing dependence on lithium resources thanks to the intrinsic safety and abundance of sodium. The sodium battery can operate efficiently across a temperature range from -40℃ to 70℃, redefining the limits of battery operating conditions.

Currently, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are primarily used in the commercial vehicle sector, but as technology improves and costs decrease, widespread application in passenger vehicles is becoming more promising. During this auto show, China’s first passenger fuel cell vehicle equipped with a low-pressure, ambient temperature solid hydrogen storage device was unveiled. This model was developed collaboratively by Shanghai Automotive Group and Shanghai Jie Hydrogen Technology Co., Ltd., featuring a small power fuel cell system specifically designed for passenger vehicles, rated at 50 kW, with an energy conversion efficiency of 50%. It efficiently coordinates the heating of the passenger cabin and the thermal supply required during the hydrogen release process from the solid storage device, satisfying long-range needs while providing an environmentally friendly and comfortable driving experience.

Methanol, as a liquid energy source, can be safely stored and transported at room temperature and pressure, characterized by being green, low-carbon, and clean renewable. The Remote New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group showcased a comprehensive methanol-hydrogen ecosystem at the Shanghai Auto Show, featuring methanol preparation, methanol refueling, and methanol fuel cell vehicles. They also introduced the world’s first methanol-hydrogen electric super van, along with the star model, the Remote Starry H methanol-hydrogen electric heavy truck. Currently, methanol energy applications in vehicles have reached nearly 40,000 units, accumulating over 20 billion kilometers in mileage.

Experts predict that the competition for automotive power systems will intensify by 2025. The arrival of this technological race will provide consumers with more choices and promote the automotive industry towards a greener, smarter, and more efficient future. “In the fierce competition of power systems, the ability to achieve cost-effective and rapid technological implementation will define the future rules of the game,” stated Lin Shi, Secretary-General of the Intelligent Connected Vehicles Committee of the China-Europe Economic and Technical Cooperation Association. He emphasized that, in the face of intense market competition, automotive and component manufacturers must enhance technological research and development, improve product performance and quality, and reduce costs to meet market demands. Additionally, collaboration is essential to advance power system technology development and applications and to improve the industrial ecosystem.