An Xpeng Iron humanoid robot is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost
- Xpeng Iron will use high-energy solid-liquid hybrid batteries, reflecting delays in the commercialization of all-solid-state technology.
- Xpeng previously sought all-solid-state battery products from several battery makers but failed to secure a solution that met its installation requirements.
Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) has reportedly decided to use solid-liquid hybrid, or semi-solid, batteries in the production version of its Iron humanoid robot.
The move marks a shift from its previously announced all-solid-state battery strategy and is aimed at reducing supply risks ahead of planned mass production by year-end.
Xpeng has selected a second-tier Chinese battery manufacturer as its primary supplier while continuing to test samples from other companies, leaving room to diversify its supplier base in the future, Jipian Lab reported on Thursday.
The company has not publicly disclosed the change in battery strategy.
The decision marks a departure from the plan Xpeng unveiled at its AI Day in November 2025. The company said at the time that the new Iron would use all-solid-state batteries to reduce weight while improving energy density and safety.
Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng also said at the time that humanoid robots could be among the first products to drive the mass production and commercialization of all-solid-state batteries.
However, the industrialization of all-solid-state batteries has failed to keep pace with Iron’s production schedule, prompting Xpeng to adopt a semi-solid solution that is closer to commercial viability.
Xpeng previously sought all-solid-state battery products from BYD (HKEX: 1211), Gotion High-tech (SZSE: 002074), CALB (HKEX: 3931) and Eve Energy (SZSE: 300014), but failed to secure a solution that met its installation requirements, according to Jipian Lab.
All-solid-state batteries remain largely at the laboratory validation stage and continue to face challenges involving costs, performance stability and manufacturing consistency.
CATL (HKEX: 3750) chairman Robin Zeng said in June that current solid-state battery technology was only at level 4 on a scale of level 1 to level 9, with level 9 indicating readiness for mass production.
The semi-solid batteries selected by Xpeng are high-energy solid-liquid hybrid cells, rather than conventional liquid batteries containing only a small amount of solid electrolyte, according to Jipian Lab.
The solution uses pouch cells instead of the cylindrical cells more commonly found in robots. The cells offer higher energy density and improved safety compared with conventional alternatives, the report noted.
However, high-energy solid-liquid hybrid batteries remain at an early stage of industrialization and require further validation in areas including material systems, manufacturing processes and product consistency.
Robots are less cost-sensitive than vehicles while placing greater demands on weight, energy density and safety, making them a potential early application for advanced battery technologies.
Still, robots are unlikely to generate large-scale shipments for battery manufacturers in the near term. Global humanoid robot sales are expected to approach only 340,000 units in 2030, Jipian Lab said, citing data from industry research firm GGII.
If each robot carries no more than 2 kWh of battery capacity, global installations would total no more than 0.68 GWh, equivalent to the batteries used in about 11,000 EVs equipped with 60-kWh packs, the report noted.
That means the main value of robot batteries may lie not in generating large orders, but in providing real-world testing grounds for next-generation battery technologies.
Xpeng still plans to begin mass production of Iron by the end of 2026, initially deploying the robots in its stores and industrial parks.
Iron is set to officially go on sale in 2027, targeting retail and service-sector customers in China and overseas. Monthly production capacity could be expanded to several thousand units depending on demand.
Xpeng’s robotics business, Dogotix, recently raised more than $900 million at a post-money valuation of over $6.3 billion. That valuation was equivalent to about 59% of Xpeng’s roughly $10.6 billion market capitalization as of September 2.
The shift to semi-solid batteries indicates that Xpeng is prioritizing getting Iron into production rather than waiting for all-solid-state technology to fully mature.
Several Wall Street banks believe that external capital has established an independent valuation benchmark for Xpeng’s robotics business.
