Li Auto switches its entire lineup to in-house batteries, ending its run as a top CATL customer

Li Auto has confirmed that its self-developed battery technology will be fitted across the whole range from September 7. Packs built to the company's own design already sit in the L8, L6 and i8, and the transition now extends to its flagship models. Demand for the Mega Home has outstripped supplies of CATL's 5C ternary cells, so orders locked in after 3:00 PM on September 7 will receive Li Auto's in-house 5C pack instead, with deliveries starting in November.

The i9 flagship family SUV, which debuts in mid-September, will still launch on CATL cells and switch to the in-house 5C battery once production capacity allows. Meanwhile the 2026 i6, due in the fourth quarter, pairs the proprietary 5C pack with Li Auto's own Mach chip; pre-orders open in late September ahead of early-November deliveries.

Underpinning the shift is a strategic investment announced earlier this month: 2.65 billion yuan (about 389.7 million USD) into Sunwoda EVB, the battery subsidiary of Sunwoda Electronic. The deal gives Li Auto an 8.79% direct holding and 11.17% of indirect ownership in total, making it the unit's second-largest shareholder. The two firms have cooperated since 2017, with Li Auto defining cell specifications and leading development of materials, structures and the BMS while Sunwoda handles contract manufacturing. Liu Zhimin, Li Auto's senior director of power batteries, argues that "Battery technology is not a commodity," and that controlling design and manufacturing standards secures supply and speeds up innovation.

As recently as April, Li Auto ranked as CATL's fourth-largest EV battery customer, so the move amounts to a clean break even though the first batch of i9s will carry CATL cells. Xpeng dropped CATL several years ago, and Xiaomi's new SkyNomad N70 and N90 also skip its batteries — though CATL is winning customers elsewhere, with Leapmotor's high-end D-series adopting its cells across the board.