Ranking of eVTOL Battery Factories: The Second S-Curve for Automobile Manufacturers to "Take to the Skies"

2025 is known as the "Year One of the Low-Altitude Economy."

From the investment promotion plans of local governments to the press releases of enterprises, almost all the buzzwords emphasize the same direction - "the industrial migration from the ground to the sky."

Behind this migration is not a sudden outburst of concepts, but a technological logic line that has been evolving for a decade. Electric drive, battery management, and lightweight structures, which were originally the core capabilities of the new energy vehicle industry chain, are now becoming the technological foundation of the eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicle) industry.

For traditional automakers, the low-altitude economy is not about "building airplanes," but about "replicating the experience of building cars in three-dimensional space."

For battery manufacturers, the low-altitude economy is a revolution of "redefining the energy system."

Over the past decade, China's new energy vehicle industry has accumulated the most complete global supply chain and manufacturing capabilities in the "battery - electric drive - electronic control" three - electric system.

Now, these capabilities are approaching saturation in the ground market. The capacity utilization rate of the automotive industry is facing downward pressure, and the overall industry capacity utilization rate is significantly lower than the reasonable level. Fierce price wars in power batteries are frequent. Therefore, some forward - looking enterprises are starting to look for new scenarios - a market that is more demanding in energy density, has higher requirements for safety, and is more cautious about large - scale production: low - altitude travel.

In other words, eVTOL is not a "new species," but an inevitable result of the technological extension of new energy vehicles.

The evolution path of power batteries, from lithium iron phosphate to high - nickel ternary, and from square shells to solid - state, is all preparing in advance for "vehicles that can fly."

The "Path to the Sky" for Automakers and Battery Manufacturers

In the "race to the sky," it is not the aviation enterprises that take the first step, but the automotive industry.

In 2025, at least six major automakers in China publicly announced their plans to enter the eVTOL field: GAC (GAOYU), XPeng (HT Aero), Geely (Terrafugia), BYD, Changan (Deep Blue Aircraft Project), and Great Wall (associated with SVOLT Energy).

Behind almost every automaker, there is a familiar battery partner.

This is a typical example of "industrial collaborative migration."

Juwantech of GAC provides a high - power - density fast - charging system for GAOYU; HT Aero of XPeng uses CATL's aviation - grade battery cells; Terrafugia of Geely is jointly supplied by CALB and Sunwoda; BYD is self - sufficient, using blade batteries as the safety foundation for short - range eVTOLs; SVOLT Energy, which originated from Great Wall Motors, has expanded from power batteries to the whole - machine energy system and is collaborating strategically and on test plans with Great Wall Motors' air - ground integrated project.

This "vehicle - battery - flight" trinity structure gives China's low - altitude industry an evolutionary logic different from that of Europe and the United States:

In the United States, eVTOL development is "from aviation downwards";

In China, eVTOL development is "from the automotive industry upwards."

This difference directly determines the form of the industrial chain.

Domestic eVTOL battery solutions are not solely guided by aviation standards, but centered on "mass - producibility, verifiability, and safe reusability."

The BMS system follows the vehicle - grade architecture, the cooling system uses improved liquid - cooled modules, and even some whole machines directly use wiring harnesses and control chips from automotive suppliers.

It can be said that the first runway for the low - altitude economy is an extension of the new energy vehicle runway.

The Logic and Methodology of the "eVTOL Battery Manufacturer Ranking List"

In this "eVTOL Battery Manufacturer Ranking List," we attempt to answer a core question:

Who is most likely to become the "CATL of the sky"?

To this end, we have established four evaluation dimensions, with a total score of 100 points:

Technological maturity and energy density (35%): The system - level (Pack) energy density is the core indicator, referring to public data and the performance of enterprise prototypes.

Airworthiness and safety system (25%): It includes the enterprise's layout in aviation safety standards, certification laboratories, redundant design, and thermal management.

Industrial collaboration and whole - machine cooperation projects (25%): Whether the enterprise has entered the supply chain of mainstream eVTOL manufacturers or participated in demonstration flights.

Scale and supply - chain integration ability (15%): Production capacity, cost control, manufacturing consistency, and cross - domain integration.

The data sources include company announcements, annual reports, public reports from industry media, and the list of airworthiness pilot enterprises announced by the CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) as of October 2025.

All parameters are taken from publicly disclosed "system - level" data or data clearly marked as "laboratory single - cell."

This ranking list does not predict stock prices or evaluate market values, but only focuses on technological and industrial potential.

The Industrial Landscape and Technological Routes of the Top 10 Battery Manufacturers

CATL: The "Definite Leader" in Flight - Grade Batteries

CATL's advantage lies not in a single indicator, but in its "systematic capabilities."

Its aviation - grade condensed - matter battery was first publicly unveiled in 2024. The technology of the aviation - grade condensed - matter battery it released claims that the single - cell energy density in the laboratory stage exceeds 500 Wh/kg, and the target system - level energy density reaches 330 - 350 Wh/kg.

In 2025, CATL launched its low - altitude energy division, with the core task of combining the safety of the vehicle - grade system with the redundant design of the aviation system.

Its core innovation lies "between materials and the system":

The condensed - matter battery uses a self - healing electrolyte that can self - repair after a short - circuit, reducing the probability of thermal runaway. Coupled with a high - precision BMS and a liquid - air cooling hybrid system, the energy density can be further increased while ensuring safety.

CATL has cooperation and testing projects with HT Aero of XPeng, EHang, etc. Some prototypes have entered the airworthiness certification stage. For China's eVTOL industry, CATL is the only enterprise that can simultaneously master the "automotive safety standards" and the "aviation airworthiness system."

Gotion: A Quick Transition from Mass - Produced Vehicle Batteries to Aviation Verification

Gotion's advantage lies in its manufacturing and verification speed.

The EH216 project it cooperates with is one of the few eVTOLs in China that has obtained the type certificate from the CAAC. This means that Gotion's battery cells and systems have entered the actual airworthiness testing stage.

Technologically, Gotion uses a high - nickel ternary system, with a system - level energy density of about 300 Wh/kg.

More importantly, it has been very active in industrial collaboration: not only has it cooperated with EHang and Volant Aerotech, but it has also built a dedicated aviation battery production line in Wuhu.

Gotion's approach is very "practical" - it does not pursue extreme parameters, but rather rapid verification and large - scale implementation. It may not be the most radical technology player, but it is one of the suppliers closest to the market.

BYD: Safe Reuse of Blade Batteries

BYD's logic remains the same as always: starting from safety.

The blade battery has passed the nail - penetration test and has become an industry safety benchmark.

For scenarios such as short - range, manned, and low - altitude travel that are extremely sensitive to safety, the stability of the blade battery is a natural advantage.

BYD has long established an "Aircraft Electric Propulsion Experiment Group" within the company and registered a battery sub - brand for eVTOLs in early 2025. Although the energy density of BYD's lithium iron phosphate blade battery (currently about 180 - 220 Wh/kg at the system level) is slightly lower than that of the high - nickel ternary system, it has absolute competitiveness in terms of safety coefficient, thermal management, cost, and consistency.

In demonstration flight projects in Shenzhen, Hefei, etc., BYD's products have been used in unmanned cargo planes and two - seat verification aircraft.

SVOLT Energy: An Ambitious Player in Structural Innovation

SVOLT Energy's "stacked + CTP" structure has gained a good reputation in the vehicle market.

After turning to eVTOLs, it focuses more on "lightweighting of system integration." By reducing the module hierarchy, integrating cooling plates, and optimizing the end - plate and shell structures, SVOLT Energy has increased the system efficiency by about 15%.

Its goal is not simply to increase energy density, but to reduce system weight and complexity.

In 2025, SVOLT built an "Aircraft Battery Verification Center" in Changzhou and jointly developed a quick - change battery solution with several startup eVTOL enterprises. This idea is completely consistent with its parent company Great Wall's vision of an "air - ground integrated energy network." SVOLT Energy, which originated from Great Wall Motors, has expanded from power batteries to the whole - machine energy system and is collaborating strategically and on test plans with Great Wall Motors' air - ground integrated project.

EVE: Internationalization and Multi - Platform Collaboration

EVE's advantage lies in its international customer network.

Overseas, it has cooperation and R & D experience with projects such as Joby and Lilium. In China, it participates in the battery - cell verification of several light eVTOLs.

Technologically, EVE tends to use a high - energy - density ternary system, with a single - cell energy density of up to 380 - 400 Wh/kg.

However, its real advantage lies in "compatibility" - whether it is a high - voltage system or a module - level monitoring architecture, EVE can quickly adapt to the needs of different whole - machine manufacturers.

In the industry, it is trying to standardize the manufacturing system that manages both "vehicle - grade and aviation - grade" requirements in parallel.

CALB: A Stable Supplier for Large - Scale Production

CALB positions itself as a "stable supplier."

It ranks among the top in terms of shipment volume in the passenger - car and commercial - vehicle fields and has a strong manufacturing system. Although there is less public disclosure in the eVTOL direction, its production lines in Anhui and Jiangsu have reserved space for aviation - grade processes.

CALB's strategy is not a short - term breakthrough, but a long - term "accumulation of potential."

Once the low - altitude market is truly scaled up, its cost and supply - chain control capabilities will become natural barriers.

Sunwoda: An Invisible Player in System Engineering

Sunwoda has accumulated strong system - integration capabilities in consumer electronics and automotive batteries.

Its strength is not in single - cell energy density, but in the "system engineering" capabilities of the battery system - especially in BMS, cooling, and signal chains.

In the eVTOL field, it cooperates with several drone and light - aircraft companies to develop verification platforms.

This kind of "system - level collaborative ability" is a key ability required for future urban air transportation.

REPT: The "Safe Spare Tire" of the Lithium - Iron System

Among a group of manufacturers pursuing high energy density, REPT persists in seeking breakthroughs within the lithium iron phosphate system.

Its "super lithium - iron" material can achieve excellent thermal stability and cycle life at 200 Wh/kg. This makes it an ideal solution for scenarios such as short - distance logistics, low - speed sightseeing, and inspections.

Although it is difficult to support long - range flights, in the "high - frequency, safe, and replaceable" micro - eVTOL market, REPT has a significant cost advantage.

Lishen Battery: Continuation of Traditional Strength

Lishen is one of the earliest manufacturers in China to enter the high - energy battery - cell field.

Although it has been surpassed by new players in the automotive power field in recent years, it still has a presence in the aviation and military markets.

In 2024, it displayed a high - energy battery - cell prototype for eVTOLs, using a semi - solid - state system. Lishen's advantage lies in its material and process foundation, but its market response speed is a bit slow.

Its future depends on whether it can form stable partnerships with whole - machine manufacturers.

Grepow: A Versatile Player in Miniaturization

Grepow was originally well - known for its drone and consumer - electronics batteries.

Although its energy density is not outstanding, it has accumulated a lot of engineering experience in micro - aircraft and special unmanned platforms.

In the markets of "decentralized aircraft" and personal short - range aircraft, this lightweight, flexible, and quickly replaceable solution has potential.

Since the scope of this ranking list includes not only large - scale manned eVTOLs but also the broader "micro - aircraft" ecosystem in the low - altitude economy, such as drones and logistics planes, Grepow is an important participant in this niche market.

Conclusion: The De - Aviationized Industrial Chain and the Second S - Curve

If the new energy vehicle revolution a decade ago was "batteries rejuvenating the automotive industry," then the current low - altitude revolution is "batteries popularizing aviation."

eVTOL is not "aviation manufacturing" in the traditional sense, but a "spatial extension of a new energy system."

In this migration, the most crucial factor is not the wings, propellers, or control algorithms, but how to find a balance among energy, weight, and safety.

For China's industries, this is exactly the most familiar equation.

From Ningde to Hefei, from Shenzhen to Changzhou, a new energy industrial chain is taking off. It continues the organizational mode of the automotive industry and is also trying to get rid of the heavy legacy of the aviation industry. Battery manufacturers in the eVTOL era are no longer just "supp