EcoPro announced that its Hungary plant held a shipment ceremony on June 8 local time for high-nickel NCA cathode materials to be supplied to a European automotive OEM.

Korean battery materials company EcoPro has officially commenced mass production of high-nickel cathode materials at its plant in Debrecen, Hungary, and has completed its first shipment, marking a significant step in the operationalization of its localized European strategy. The facility primarily produces high-nickel NCA cathode materials for electric vehicles, with initial deliveries already made to European automotive OEMs. Covering an area of approximately 440,000 square meters, the project integrates cathode material production, lithium hydroxide processing, and industrial gas supply. It has an annual production capacity of around 54,000 tonnes of cathode materials, sufficient to support approximately 600,000 electric vehicles. The company stated that it will use this launch as a starting point to gradually ramp up production and plans to supply more global automakers within the year, while also advancing the development of NCM product lines to meet diverse customer needs in Europe. Looking ahead, EcoPro is considering the construction of a second plant based on order visibility, which could more than double the site’s total capacity.

On April 21, 2026, CATL unveiled the Qilin Condensed Battery, the third-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery, the third-generation Qilin Battery, the second-generation Xiaoyao Super Extended-Range Hybrid Battery, the NaXin Battery, and the "Super Swap-Integrated" charging network plan at its "Super Tech Day" in Beijing.

The Nickel Pig Iron (NPI) market looks firm on the surface — but dig one layer deeper and two very different realities emerge for high-grade and low-grade material.

On April 21, 2026, CATL unveiled the Qilin Condensed Battery, the third-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery, the third-generation Qilin Battery, the second-generation Xiaoyao Super Extended-Range Hybrid Battery, the NaXin Battery, and the "Super Swap-Integrated" charging network plan at its "Super Tech Day" in Beijing.

Leveraging its comprehensive material portfolio and technological advantages, Ronbay Technology had become a key support for the solid-state battery industry chain. The company's high-nickel and ultra-high-nickel all-solid-state cathodes had achieved shipments at the 10-mt level, with products covering leading battery makers and OEMs in and outside China. Client-side evaluations showed they could meet the requirements of 400 Wh/kg battery cells.

This week，the solid-state battery industry showed a dual-engine momentum driven by "intensive breakthroughs on the technology front and targeted solutions on the policy front." CATL disclosed a sulphide patent, Zhongkeyuanben's 20Ah all-solid-state battery passed third-party detection, and Dreame Technology released a 450Wh/kg product; Guangdong took the lead in incorporating diversified solid-state battery technology routes and eVTOL scenarios into provincial-level action plans.

This week，the solid-state battery industry showed a dual-engine momentum driven by "intensive breakthroughs on the technology front and targeted solutions on the policy front." CATL disclosed a sulphide patent, Zhongkeyuanben's 20Ah all-solid-state battery passed third-party detection, and Dreame Technology released a 450Wh/kg product; Guangdong took the lead in incorporating diversified solid-state battery technology routes and eVTOL scenarios into provincial-level action plans.

In January 2026, the solid-state battery industry chain accelerated comprehensively in terms of materials, battery cells, capacity, and capital. Multiple technical routes, including ultra-high nickel and lithium-rich manganese-based cathodes, silicon carbon anodes, and sulfide/oxide electrolytes, achieved breakthroughs in parallel, with planned capacity already reaching tens of GWh. Automaker-driven prototype verifications are being conducted intensively, and the industry is transitioning from R&D to pilot-scale mass production. The year 2026 is expected to become a critical "verification year" for the scaled installation of semi-solid-state batteries and tackling the engineering challenges of all-solid-state batteries, marking the beginning of industry differentiation and reshuffling.

This week (January 2–8, 2026), solid-state battery industrialization achieved a critical breakthrough: Hongqi's all-solid-state battery vehicle rolled off the production line, and a Finnish startup launched a mass-producible product, marking a new phase in technology validation. Meanwhile, significant progress was made in key segments of the industry chain: Yixing Tianhua's 5,200 mt high-nickel cathode project commenced, Yahua and Haichen completed pilot tests of lithium sulfide and are expected to submit samples soon, and Zhengwang's first batch of CVD silicon-carbon material was produced. On the materials front, a trend of "rising prices for traditional materials and falling prices for specialized materials" emerged, clarifying the long-term cost reduction pathway. Industrial investment is spreading from coastal regions to central areas, and the mass production race is now in full swing.