On the evening of November 29, LEAD Intelligent Equipment announced that it had signed a strategic cooperation agreement with CATL. The two parties will collaborate in core equipment for cell production and other fields, establishing a strategic partnership.
According to the agreement, CATL will prioritize the procurement of LEAD’s core cell production equipment and actively explore further cooperation in module and PACK-related areas.
The two companies will also collaborate on emerging technologies and new fields, including but not limited to solid-state batteries and perovskite materials. They will establish a regular technical exchange mechanism. The strategic cooperation is valid for three years from the date of signing.
CATL Focuses on Sulfide Solid-State Batteries
Recently, CATL has increased investment in R&D for all-solid-state battery technology, expanding its dedicated team to over 1,000 members. CATL is currently advancing research on sulfide-based solid-state batteries. Its existing solution reportedly achieves an energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg for ternary lithium batteries.
All-solid-state battery development typically begins with 1Ah samples, progressing to 10Ah and 20Ah stages. The 1Ah stage focuses on testing material properties, 10Ah on validating single-cell performance, and 20Ah on exploring production techniques. CATL has completed testing of 10Ah samples and is moving into the 20Ah trial production phase.
For mass production, CATL’s Chairman, Zeng Yuqun, outlined a nine-level R&D roadmap. He revealed at the Battery Conference in September that CATL is currently at level 4, aiming to reach levels 7–8 by 2027 for small-scale production of all-solid-state batteries.
CATL’s R&D strategy aligns with those of Toyota, LG Energy Solution, and Samsung SDI. According to TrendForce’s Global Solid-State Battery Market Development Trend Report (2025), sulfide electrolytes have become the mainstream due to their ionic conductivity comparable to or exceeding that of liquid electrolytes and their ease of processing. Companies such as Toyota, Nissan, Samsung SDI, LGES, SK On, CATL, BYD, and Gotion High-Tech are all pursuing this technology.
TrendForce projects that the BOM cost of sulfide-based solid-state battery cells will range from RMB 1–2/Wh in the initial industrialization phase (2025) and drop below RMB 1/Wh by 2030. By 2035, with electrolyte costs expected to fall below RMB 300,000/ton, BOM costs could further decrease to less than RMB 0.4/Wh.
LEAD Intelligent Equipment: A Leading Lithium Battery Equipment Manufacturer
As a leading company in lithium battery equipment, LEAD Intelligent Equipment plays a key role in CATL's production of all-solid-state batteries.
Founded in 1999, LEAD's business spans lithium batteries, photovoltaics, 3C intelligent equipment, intelligent logistics, automotive production lines, hydrogen energy equipment, and precision laser processing. The company operates 15 subsidiaries and over 50 service centers worldwide, with operations in more than 20 countries, including the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Its workforce is spread across 16 countries.
LEAD boasts a 1 million-square-meter R&D and manufacturing base with nearly 20,000 employees, over 5,000 of whom are in R&D. The company consistently allocates over 10% of its revenue to R&D, holding more than 2,400 authorized patents.
In solid-state battery production, the high ionic conductivity and material properties of sulfide electrolytes demand extremely high precision and process capabilities from equipment. LEAD has collaborated with numerous industry leaders, securing orders for all-solid-state battery production lines from renowned domestic and international automotive and battery companies. The company has developed solutions that cover key processes from end-to-end, enabling the first mass production line for solid-state batteries globally.
LEAD’s innovative solutions in electrode preparation, film formation, stacking, assembly, formation, aging, and logistics have been successfully applied to scale production. The company will continue to work closely with downstream customers to advance solid-state battery commercialization.
Source：TrendForce