Ronbay Technology announced on May 29 that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with EVE, thereby cementing their partnership in the Li-ion battery industry. The agreement contains three areas for collaborations:
[1] The two parties will embark on the strategic partnership in the supply chain for Li-ion batteries. The range of joint activities will encompass product development, technology development, market expansion, and extension of supply chain. The products that they will be focusing on include high-nickel ternary materials and LFP materials. They will be creating innovative products and pioneer technologies for future generations of batteries and battery materials. Together, they will be driving the growth of the Li-ion battery industry.
[3] The two parties will set up a mechanism for high-level visits and discussions so that they can formulate a joint strategy and collective goals. They intend to have comprehensive and mutually beneficial plans for business development and operation. These plans will align with both parties’ interests and leveraging each other’s strengths. One party has a high-quality client base that be used to help the other party to raise production and capacity utilization rate. The other party will focus on the specifics pertaining to capacity expansion, product design, enhancement of supply chain, recycling, and patent strategy in overseas markets. The aimed result of this partnership is that both companies will able to secure a substantial market share for NEV power batteries, energy storage batteries, and batteries for various electronics.
[3] Apart from high-nickel ternary materials and LFP materials, the two parties are also keen on driving innovations in other related products and technologies. Following the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement, the two parties could entered into new agreements for technology collaborations, depending on the progress of their respective projects. These possible agreements will clearly define the directions of collaborations, the methods for proceeding with joint projects, the ownership of the related intellectual property rights, etc. With respect to co-development of products and projects, the two parties will promptly engage in talks about production, procurement pricing, delivery, and quality assurance. Then, they will enter into follow-up agreements to ensure that the execution will go smoothly.
Ronbay Technology was established in 2014 and listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on July 222, 2019. This multinational company mainly focuses on cathode materials used in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. It has a wide range offerings, though the primary ones are high-nickel ternary materials and LFP materials. The main target market segments that Ronbay wants to have a complete overage are NEV power batteries and energy storage batteries.
In terms of production capacity, Ronbay has set up 250,000 tons per year for cathode materials. The company currently has four major production hubs respectively located in Ezhou (China’s Hubei Province), Xiantao (Hubei), Zunyi (China’s Guizhou Province), and Chungju (South Korea). These bases have a total planned production capacity of more than 700,000 tons per year.
Ronbay’s partner EVE was established in Huzihou (China’s Guangdong Province) in 2001 and listed on the GEM Board in 2009. EVE is primarily engaged in the development, manufacturing, and sales of batteries for consumer electronics and NEVs. Notably, EVE was the first among Chinese battery manufacturers to unveil plans for production lines that output large cylindrical batteries. The company’s main offerings include type-21700 ternary cylindrical cell, type-33140 LFP cylindrical cell, and type-40135 LFP cylindrical cell.
Furthermore, EVE is scaling up production for type-4680 cylindrical cells. At its recent earnings report, the company revealed that it is the first among domestic battery manufacturers to have developed series-46 ternary cylindrical cells and other large cylindrical cells with higher energy density specifications. The setup of the new production capacity for series-46 cells is currently progressing as scheduled.
Ronbay in its announcement of the strategic cooperation agreement noted that EVE has been a pioneer in the market segment for series-46 and larger cylindrical cells. Hence, the signing of the agreement represents a major milestone because there are now opportunities for Ronbay to supply the high-nickel cathode materials for series-46 cells. Also, the commercialization and mass production of these products set the stage for adoption among long-range electric vehicle models.
This article is a translation of a Chinese article posted by TrendForce. It contains information that is either sourced from other news outlets or accessible in the public domain. Some Chinese names are transcribed into English using Hanyu Pinyin.