Also, in lithium-based batteries the electrolyte, which facilitates ion transfer, uses a flammable liquid that can create a fire hazard.
Several companies, including WeLion New Energy, are working to make solid-state cells, which use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one. This could increase the energy density of batteries, as well as improve their safety. Fully solid-state cells are extremely difficult to manufacture, though. So WeLion currently focuses on developing and producing semi-solid-state cells, which have a part-liquid, part-solid electrolyte.
On that front, they have made steady progress. In 2023, WeLion released a battery pack in partnership with Shanghai-based EV-maker Nio, best known for its battery-swapping technology. The pack had an energy density of 360 watt-hours per kilogram (wh/kg), significantly higher than the 200 wh/kg average for lithium-ion packs today. That translated to a range of over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). However, only about 200 of the battery packs were manufactured due to their high production cost, but they are still being used by Nio, WeLion says.
WeLion has also built batteries to power cargo ships and ferries through a subsidiary. And the company is developing batteries with even higher energy density too. WeLion’s engineers made a semi-solid-state battery that achieved a remarkable energy density of 824 wh/kg during testing in 2025, more than three times that of a standard lithium-ion battery available today.
Key indicators
- Industry: Energy storage
- Founded: 2016
- Headquarters: Beijing, China
- Notable fact: WeLion’s cofounders include Chen Liquan, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences who led the development of the country’s first all-solid-state battery back in 1988.
Potential for impact
China emits more carbon dioxide than any other country, and its transportation sector accounts for around 10% of that total. Scaling up the production of safer, higher-capacity batteries could help switch more vehicles away from fossil fuels.
Batteries that power electric ships could be especially helpful—the carbon dioxide emissions from vessels that move goods along China’s lakes, canals, and rivers are projected to grow by around 25% in this decade alone, reaching 18.7 million metric tons by 2030.
Caveats
One big challenge WeLion faces is scaling up production of its semi-solid-state batteries and competing on cost in a crowded battery market. WeLion says that its semi-solid-state batteries are more expensive than conventional lithium-ion batteries made by larger Chinese battery companies such as CATL.
And while laboratory tests showing high energy density are impressive, it can be difficult to translate laboratory results to the real world. The company declined to give more details about the experimental results from its 2025 prototype, which it says is far from commercialization. Key details remain unclear, including how many times the cell can be charged and discharged and how capacity degrades over its lifetime.
