Lithium Price Review and Forecast

On August 7, the mass-production launch meeting for Shandong Hithium’s world’s first integrated long duration energy storage (LDES) industrial park (Shandong Heze Base) was held in Luxi New District, Heze. As the world’s first integrated intelligent manufacturing base purpose-built for long duration energy storage (LDES), the Shandong Heze Base, through its industrial practice of “setting a benchmark upon launch and leading upon mass production,” has become a pivotal move for Hithium to firmly advance its long duration energy storage (LDES) strategy and deepen its global integrated industrial footprint, marking a new stage in its global integrated intelligent manufacturing and scaled delivery capabilities for long duration energy storage (LDES). The base’s integrated intelligent manufacturing spans the full process from raw material to prefabricated cabin delivery. Built on a fifth-generation intelligent manufacturing production line, its single-line capacity surpassed 15 Gwh for the first time in the industry. Compared with the previous generation, its building area per Gwh decreased by 50%, production labor by 58%, and manufacturing energy consumption by 13%; efficiency increased by 200%, automation exceeded 95%, and more than 1,000 quality control points combined with AI visual detection to build capabilities for low-cost operations, high-efficiency delivery, and high-quality products, providing global clients with leading long duration energy storage (LDES) solutions.

Recently, China Post Group and CATL formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Lu Wei, President of Postal Savings Bank of China, and Zheng Shu, Chief Financial Officer of CATL, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties. Liu Aili, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Post Group, and Zeng Yuqun, Chairman and CEO of CATL, jointly attended and witnessed the signing. Both parties will leverage their respective strengths to promote the logistics industry’s low-carbon transformation through green finance and jointly practice high-quality development: Build a logistics “battery bank” ecosystem: The two parties will focus on all logistics scenarios, including urban distribution, heavy-duty trucks on trunk routes, unmanned vehicles, and drones, to jointly build a “battery bank” for the logistics industry, providing users inside and outside the postal system with full life cycle services including battery leasing, intelligent charging and battery swapping, centralized operations and maintenance, and recycling. Develop a zero-carbon logistics demonstration system: By integrating advanced new energy transport capacity, automated equipment, robots, and green operating models, they will drive zero-carbon upgrades of logistics parks and jointly build an intelligent zero-carbon logistics service system. Provide embedded supply-chain logistics services: China Post will go deep into CATL’s production sites and intelligent factory supply-chain systems, directly integrating warehousing and transport capacity into production parks, covering the entire process from raw material inbound to semi-finished products transfers and finished goods outbound, and jointly formulating safety transportation standards for battery logistics. Deepen green finance and ecosystem synergy: By integrating financial resources including Postal Savings Bank of China, China Post Securities, and China Post Insurance under China Post, they will provide settlement, financing, supply-chain finance, and cross-border financial support to help electrify the logistics industry. Going forward, both parties will pragmatically advance the implementation of various cooperation initiatives, empowering the upgrading of traditional industries through technological innovation and network synergy.

Zhongheng Electric (002364) announced on August 14 that the Company’s controlling shareholder, Zhongheng Technology Investment, together with its shareholders Zhu Guoding and Bao Xiaoru, signed the “Capital Increase Agreement” and the “Shareholders’ Agreement Regarding Hangzhou Zhongheng Technology Investment Co., Ltd.” and other transaction documents with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (hereinafter referred to as “CATL”). CATL intends to subscribe for newly increased registered capital of Zhongheng Technology Investment in the amount of 14.4118 million yuan, with a capital increase consideration of 4.1 billion yuan. On the same day, Zhongheng Technology Investment, Zhongheng Electric, CATL, and its subsidiary Shidai Tianyuan signed the “Strategic Cooperation Agreement”.