Panasonic Energy's New-Type EV Battery Mass Production Plan Delayed Again

[SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Prices Drifted Lower on July 24] SMM battery-grade lithium carbonate spot prices drifted lower compared with the previous working day. In the futures market, the lithium carbonate 2609 contract opened lower at 144,200 yuan/mt today, drifted lower after opening, moved sideways below the average price line (143,800 yuan/mt) in the morning, and hit a low of 141,300 yuan/mt; around midday, bulls and bears repeatedly struggled in the 141,000–144,000 yuan/mt range, with trading volume increasing in stages; in the afternoon, bulls briefly exerted strength, pushing the price to surge to 145,800 yuan/mt, before it encountered bearish selling pressure and drifted lower. The contract then consolidated at lows around 144,300 yuan/mt in the late session, finally closing down 0.88% at 144,300 yuan/mt. Open interest decreased by 13,209 lots. In the spot market, downstream purchase willingness moderated, with purchasing mainly as needed; upstream lithium chemical plants continued to hold prices firm and hold back from selling for spot orders, trading more with downstream through long-term contracts. Overall, market inquiries and actual transactions relatively slowed down.

[Solid-State Battery: Huashang Zhongke Successfully Completes Pilot Trial of 99.95% High-Purity Lithium Sulphide; Multiple Enterprises in Shandong Deploy Lithium Sulphide] On July 22, 2026, information from Huashang Zhongke’s official account. Qingdao Huashang Zhongke New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. announced that its pilot-produced lithium sulphide was tested by the National Power Battery Innovation Center of the Guolian Automotive Power Battery Research Institute (with CMA/CNAS qualifications), and the product purity reached 99.95%. Relying on technology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the company overcame barriers such as anhydrous and oxygen-free sealed synthesis and multi-stage deep purification, and has completed construction of a pilot R&D production line with an annual capacity of 60 mt of sulphide solid-state electrolyte. Huashang Zhongke is a participating drafting unit of the national standard for solid-state batteries. Enterprises in Shandong that have deployed lithium sulphide include Ruifu, Taihe, Dayao, Wanrun Co., Ltd., Yifeng New Material, Zhongke Yuanben, etc.