Li Auto Adds CALB as Its Third Battery Supplier to Strengthen Supply Chain Control
Li Auto is expanding its battery supply chain by bringing in a third supplier, a move that signals the electric vehicle maker's intensifying push to reduce costs and secure component availability amid fierce competition in China's auto market, according to an exclusive report by Chinese tech media outlet 36Kr.
According to 36Kr's report published on September 8, 2026, Li Auto is set to onboard Contemporary Amperex Lithium Battery Technology (CALB) as its third battery partner, with the Li i6 likely to be the first model to carry CALB-supplied cells.
The 2026 model year Li i6 has already appeared in China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology filings, which list CALB and Sunwoda Electronic as cell manufacturers for two battery configurations. The previous 2025 i6 used cells from Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and Sunwoda. The i6 is Li Auto's top-selling model, with over 120,000 units delivered in the first half of 2026, accounting for more than 50% of the company's total sales volume.
Li Auto's battery supply strategy has evolved considerably. Its partnership with CATL dates back to its debut vehicle, the Li ONE, and was deepened through a five-year strategic cooperation agreement signed in September last year. The company's relationship with Sunwoda is structured differently: the two established a 50-50 joint venture last September to produce what Li Auto markets as its proprietary "Li-branded" battery, with Li Auto leading product design and Sunwoda acting largely in an ODM capacity. Li Auto further deepened its Sunwoda ties by injecting RMB 2.65 billion yuan (approximately US$365 million) into Sunwoda's EV battery unit, which will make Li Auto a second largest shareholder upon completion.
On September 7, 2026, Li Auto officially announced that its self-developed battery would be rolled out across its entire vehicle lineup by the fourth quarter, covering new-generation MEGA, the i9, and the 2026 i6.
CALB is China's third-largest battery supplier by shipment volume, trailing only CATL and BYD, and is one of the few domestic manufacturers with strong expertise in ternary lithium battery technology. Before entering Li Auto's supply chain, CALB had already been supplying Xpeng and Leapmotor, and more recently entered the supply chains of Huawei's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance and Xiaomi Auto.
The broader trend reflects a strategic pivot among China's leading EV brands. Huawei's Harmony ecosystem and Xiaomi Auto have both diversified away from sole reliance on CATL, with Xiaomi announcing a strategic partnership with CALB and Sunwoda for its "Dragon Armor" battery system on September 4, 2026.
The addition of CALB gives Li Auto greater leverage over pricing and supply continuity at a time when raw material costs — including lithium carbonate and memory chips — are rising. As China's EV market grows more competitive, the ability to manage battery supply chains in-house or through multiple partners is becoming a defining strategic advantage for automakers.
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