Manufacturers
Who is Envision AESC?
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Origins and Ownership

Envision AESC (Automotive Energy Supply Corporation) is a global battery manufacturer focused on powering electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems.

  • Founded in 2007 in Japan as a joint venture between Nissan, NEC Corporation, and NEC Tokin.
  • In 2018, China’s Envision Group acquired a majority stake. Nissan retained a minority share.
  • Since then, the company has operated as Envision AESC, expanding into one of the world’s fastest-growing battery producers.

Products and Technology

Envision AESC designs lithium-ion battery cells and packs for both cars and stationary energy storage.

  • Chemistries: The company produces both NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) and LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cells, depending on the application.
  • EV Batteries: Its Gen5 platform (based on NCM 811 chemistry) targets higher energy densities, approaching ~300 Wh/kg in development.
  • Energy Storage: In 2025, Envision AESC announced 315 Ah and 530 Ah large-format cells, designed for long cycle life (~12,000 cycles) and high efficiency (>95%). Mass production is targeted for 2025.
  • Safety: The company highlights passing over 200 global safety tests, including a CSA-supervised 49-hour fire safety trial. It also claims a record of “zero major safety incidents” in its ESS products.

AESC: 530Ah Battery Cell

Envision AESC has unveiled a 530Ah energy storage cell delivering over 1.6kWh per unit. With 12,000-cycle longevity and 95% energy efficiency, it’s fully compatible with mainstream ESS solutions. Mass production and deliveries are set to begin in 2025.


Global Footprint and Capacity

Envision AESC is aggressively scaling with gigafactories worldwide:

  • Japan: Original facilities supplying early Nissan Leaf batteries.
  • UK (Sunderland): Expanding capacity to support Nissan’s EV hub.
  • France (Douai): A ~9 GWh plant near Renault’s ElectriCity, backed by EU funding.
  • Spain (Navalmoral de la Mata): €1.1 billion LFP factory, with production targeted for 2026.
  • China (Cangzhou, Hebei): “Zero-Carbon Intelligent Industrial Park,” with 10 GWh in production and another 10 GWh under construction.
  • USA: Plants announced in Tennessee and South Carolina; however, the Florence, SC site was paused in June 2025 due to policy and tariff uncertainty.

Past company roadmaps projected hundreds of GWh of global capacity by 2030, but actual targets depend on market conditions and government policy.


Partnerships and Customers

Envision AESC supplies some of the world’s biggest automakers and energy companies:

  • Nissan: Longstanding partner for Leaf and future EV platforms.
  • Renault: Supply through the Douai factory in France.
  • BMW: Planned supply for Spartanburg, USA production.
  • Energy storage integrators: Recent announcements of over 40 GWh of ESS cell supply contracts in China.

Challenges and Risks

Despite its growth, Envision AESC faces several challenges:

  • Policy Risks: Trade disputes and changing subsidy rules (especially in the U.S.) can stall investments.
  • Intense Competition: Rivals such as CATL, BYD, and LG Energy Solution currently dominate global market share.
  • Technology Race: Sodium-ion and solid-state batteries are emerging as future competitors.

Future Outlook

Looking forward, Envision AESC is focused on:

  • Expanding global capacity to the hundreds of GWh scale by 2030.
  • Delivering EV batteries with longer ranges (targets >1,000 km per charge).
  • Scaling grid-scale storage cells for renewable energy and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) projects.
  • Achieving zero-carbon manufacturing across multiple new gigafactories.

Key Takeaways

  • Envision AESC is a Chinese-owned, globally active battery maker with Japanese roots.
  • It is not affiliated with Cornex (a separate Chinese company).
  • The company is rapidly scaling with gigafactories across Europe, Asia, and North America.
  • While facing risks from policy and competition, Envision AESC is positioning itself as a key global player in the EV and ESS battery market.

Official Website – https://www.aesc-group.com/

Lithium Battery-school
Are second life Lithium Batteries safe?

Are you considering repurposing battery cells and building your own Powerwall or similar Energy storage system?

We are going to take a look at what you must understand before starting a project of this type.

The Chemistry

NMC or NCA

Both of these chemistries are considered dangerous, and they should be avoided, especially in any second life application. And even more importantly in any residential application. There is a real risk of a short circuit, leading to thermal runaway. Both of these chemistries will be extremely difficult to extinguish. And may explode, and burn anything and everything around it down to ashes, Firefighters will not try to extinguish a Lithium Battery fire, as they know they have no option but to wait for the

The capacity loss of LiBs is generally considered to be linear, with end of life typically around 75% to 80% state of health (SoH) and the final end-of-life stage around 50% to 60% SoH. However, at some point a severe and potentially dangerous deterioration can occur and lead to an increased ageing rate. The time at which this occurs, referred to as the “knee,” is difficult to predict. It can occur at a higher SoH than expected, thereby increasing the risk of thermal runaway, internal short circuits, and joule heating, according to the report.

Lithium Iron Phosphate

Although it is possible for LFP to enter thermal runaway, it is very unlikely, and usually only happens when external heat is present, it can also happen when the cell is at 100% SOC and is supplied with a very high current, such as

What is Thermal Runaway?

Lithium Battery-school
Who is EVE Energy?

EVE Energy is a technology-driven company focused on the development of lithium batteries. Their products are widely used in the IoT, EV and ESS. Eve Energy makes prismatic, pouch and cylindrical battery cells. Along with a range of other batteries, including Lithium metal non rechargeable batteries.

Company Website – www.evebattery.com
EVE Energy Co., Ltd. (stock code: 300014)

Household ESS, Utility ESS, and Telecom ESS with products covering cells, modules, battery systems, battery management systems, and other comprehensive solutions

Lithium Battery-school
How does charging differ between LiFePO4 batteries and lead-acid batteries?

How does the charging process differ between LiFePO4 batteries and lead-acid batteries?

The charging process for LiFePO4 batteries and lead-acid batteries is different in several key ways.

LiFePO4 batteries are typically charged using a constant voltage charging method, where the voltage is held at a constant level until the current drops to a certain level. This helps to prevent overcharging and extend the life of the battery.

In contrast, lead-acid batteries are often charged using a constant current charging method, where the current is held at a constant level until the voltage reaches a certain level. This method is less precise and can result in overcharging and shorter battery life.

Additionally, LiFePO4 batteries have a higher charging voltage and require a special charging profile to avoid damaging the cells. Lead-acid batteries have a lower charging voltage and can be charged using a standard charging profile.

It’s also worth noting that LiFePO4 batteries are more tolerant to overcharging compared to lead-acid batteries, and they have a lower risk of sulfation, which is a common problem with lead-acid batteries.

What is the ideal voltage to charge lifepo4?

The ideal voltage to charge a LiFePO4 battery varies depending on the specific battery and the manufacturer’s specifications, but a typical voltage range is between 3.5V to 3.65V per cell. For a 12V LiFePO4 battery, the charging voltage should be between 14v and 14.4v

It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s recommended charging voltage and to use a charger specifically designed for LiFePO4 batteries, as charging a LiFePO4 battery with the wrong voltage or using an inappropriate charger can result in reduced performance and shorter battery life.

LiFePO4 batteries require a multi-stage charging process that includes a constant voltage charge and a topping charge. The constant voltage charge is applied until the current drops to a certain level, at which point a float charge is applied to bring the voltage to the maximum level. The multi-stage charging process helps to prevent overcharging and extend the life of the battery. The float charge is a stage in the charging process for LiFePO4 batteries that occurs after the main constant voltage charge stage. During the float charge, the voltage is held at a slightly lower level than the maximum voltage to prevent overcharging and to ensure that the battery stays fully charged. The float charge serves several purposes. First, it helps to balance the voltage between the cells in the battery, ensuring that all cells are charged to the same level. Second, it helps to prevent overcharging, which can reduce the overall life of the battery. Finally, it helps to maintain the battery in a fully charged state, ready for use when needed.

The exact voltage and duration of the float charge will depend on the specific battery and the manufacturer’s specifications. It’s important to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure that the battery is charged correctly and to maximize the performance and lifespan.

Lithium Battery-school
Who is CATL?

CATL is the leading Lithium and as of 2023 Sodium-ion battery manufacturer in China and the World.

CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited) is a Chinese battery manufacturer that produces lithium-ion and as of 2023 sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems. The company was founded in 2011 and has quickly become the leading EV battery manufacturer in the world. It supplies batteries to a number of major automakers, including Tesla, Volkswagen, BMW, and Toyota. CATL has also established a number of partnerships and collaborations with other companies in the EV and energy storage industries.

The company provides research and development, production, and sale of electric vehicle and energy storage battery systems. It also provides battery management systems, materials, battery cells, and battery recycling and reuse systems. These batteries are used in electric passenger vehicles, electric buses, electric trucks, and other special vehicles; and spare parts. The products of energy storage systems find their applications in renewable energy, communication base stations, grid frequency modulation, commercial and industrial buildings, and household energy storage. It also operates its business from Ningde, Fujian, China also has production in Germany, and overseas offices in Japan, France, and the USA regions.

LiFePo4 Video from CATL

Official CATL VIDEO

HOW China’s CATL makes its batteries

Lithium Battery-school
Pylontech First Gen 8 years old – Lifepo4 with bad cells – Repaired

Model – Extra 2000 – First generation Pylontech Lifepo4 Battery

Thanks to Nicolas for making this video of his First generation Lifepo4 Battery repair.

Here we see an old Pylontech battery with a capacity of only 10% original capacity, and over the course of 2 youtube videos, Nicolas is able to cut out a couple of bad pouch cells and restore the battery to approx 80% again.
Well done Nicholas


Nicholas Howell
Youtube subs – 1.61K subscribers

Part 1

Part 2

Lithium Battery-school Blog
What is the best way to prolong the lifespan of lifepo4 batteries?

There are several steps you can take to prolong the lifespan of Lifepo4 batteries, including the following:

  1. Store the batteries properly: Lifepo4 batteries should be stored in a cool, dry place at a temperature of around 15-20 degrees Celsius (60-68 degrees Fahrenheit). Avoid storing the batteries in extreme temperatures, as this can damage the cells and reduce their lifespan.
  2. Charge and discharge the batteries properly: Lifepo4 batteries should be charged and discharged within the recommended voltage range to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Overcharging or deep discharging the batteries can damage the cells and reduce their lifespan.
  3. Avoid exposing the batteries to high temperatures: Lifepo4 batteries are sensitive to high temperatures and can degrade quickly when exposed to them. Avoid exposing the batteries to high temperatures, such as by keeping them out of direct sunlight or away from heat sources.
  4. Use a battery management system (BMS): A BMS can help to optimize the charging and discharging of Lifepo4 batteries, protecting them from overcharging, deep discharging, and other factors that can damage the cells and reduce their lifespan.

By following these steps, you can help to prolong the life of your Lifepo4 batteries and ensure they perform at their best for as long as possible.

Bloating

Lifepo4 batteries, like all lithium-ion batteries, can expand or “bloat” when they are overcharged or charged too quickly. The specific voltage at which this can occur will depend on the specific chemistry and construction of the battery, as well as the charging conditions and other factors. In general, however, it is important to avoid overcharging Lifepo4 batteries and to charge them at a slow, steady rate to prevent bloating and other damage to the cells. Most Lifepo4 batteries are designed to be charged to a maximum voltage of around 3.65-3.7 volts per cell, and charging them above this level can cause bloating and other damage to the cells. It is important to refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for the specific charging voltage and charging rate for your Lifepo4 batteries.

REAL WORLD Cycle life

Good quality Lifepo4 cells should achieve about 4,000 or more deep discharge/charge cycles, averaging 1 cycle per day would allow for 11 years of use before a noticeable loss of capacity.

Shallow cycles are the best way to extend the lifespan, which means not going below about 30% of the remaining capacity. And not above 90% SOC. For use in residential and commercial purposes, We at LIFEPO4 Australia would recommend sizing and using your battery within these parameters.

10,000 shallow discharge/charge cycles would last around 13+ years.

LFP vs NMC lithium battery degradation-test-results
Its likely the LFP was shallow cycles at a low C rate such as below 0.2C
Lithium Battery-school
LIFEPO4 – Internal Resistance, capacity, and its Performance

Cell capacity is of limited use if a battery pack cannot deliver the stored energy effectively; a battery also needs low internal resistance. Measured in milliohms (mΩ), resistance is extremely important the higher the C rate of the battery; the lower the resistance, the less restriction the pack encounters. This is especially important in heavy loads such as power tools and electric powertrains. High resistance causes the battery to heat up and the voltage to drop under load, this is bad for the cell, and the battery, this is what causes degradation and aging, loss of performance, and ultimately EOL(end of life)

A grade (what we now call Automotive Grade) LiFePo4 has a very low internal resistance and the battery responds well to high-current bursts that last for a few seconds to a few minutes (see the individual cell specification sheet). Compared to LFP Lead acid and inherent sluggishness, however, lead acid does not perform well on a sustained high current discharge; the battery soon gets tired and needs rest to recover. LFP however, suffers much less, And A-grade LFP is sorted by the factory because it meets the manufacturer’s specifications. This tells the manufacturer a lot about the cell, its expected performance, and its lifespan.

LFP is highly efficient and can have different performance characteristics

If we look at the A-grade EVE LF280 cells we can see the performance and efficiency. Very high!!!
Discharge capacity/nominal
capacity×100%

A)0.33CA ≥100%
B)0.5CA ≥98%
C)1CA ≥97%

We need to compare Lead Acid again for learning purposes, Some sluggishness is apparent in all batteries at different degrees but it is especially pronounced with lead acid. This hints that power delivery is not based on internal resistance alone but also on the responsiveness of the chemistry, as well as temperature. In this respect, nickel- and lithium-based technologies are more responsive than lead acid.

The internal resistance of Lithium-based batteries also increases with use and aging but improvements have been made with electrolyte additives to keep the buildup of films on the electrodes under control. With all batteries, SoC affects the internal resistance. Lithium has higher resistance at full charge and also at end of discharge with a low resistance area in the middle. This is important to note, as when you are caring for the cells, you can very simply make the judgment that keeping your Lithium cells inside the 80% window is going to minimise degradation.

The 10%-80%-10% rule for Lithium is a good one to follow. This means try to keep you cells between 10% and 90% State of Charge.

A look at the Manufacturing Process

Lithium Battery-school News
Next-Generation Automotive M3P Batteries by CATL

CATL, the world’s largest Lithium Battery Manufacturer, has recently announced a new battery type, with a modified version of the LMFP chemistry, LMFP stands for Lithium Maganese Ferro Phosphate, its very similar to the LFP (LiFePo4) chemistry only that the manganese allows for the voltage to rise from the 3.2 to around 4.1v, this means there is higher energy inside the same form factor or another way to say that is the higher energy density.

CATL doesn’t do things unless they are tested, thought out, and ready for mass production.

Why Voltage matters

My two cents, what do we know about voltage and the effect it has on every type of Lithium Battery cells?

We know that the lower the nominal and fully charged voltage the longer the lifespan, if you look at LTO (Lithium Titanium oxide aka Li2TiO3) the nominal voltage lies at 2.3v and the lifespan can reach 20000 cycles with the fully charged voltage at only 2.8v.

Or if we look at what’s called ternary lithium cells, such as NMC (Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide aka LiNiMnCoO2 and NCA (Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide aka LiNiCoAlO2) chemistry, the ones currently used by most Tesla’s (excluding the Chinese made Tesla’s that are not performance models) the nominal voltage is 3.7, but the full charged voltage is 4.2v, which is high, and it’s known that higher voltages translate into lower lifespans, which is why LFP does pretty well and can reach 6000 or even 10,000 cycles if treated well. It is also reported that Tesla will be one of the largest customers of CATL for the new M3P battery, with reports that the Tesla Semi will also use them.

So with rumors of the new M3P battery being manufactured by CATL, what have they managed to do, that gives a lifespan similar to LFP but still with the higher operating voltage? At this point we don’t know, as the information is not known, at least from my research I can’t find any further details on what they have added to the chemistry to enable the lifespan such as LFP.

According to CNEVPost, the M3P cells use the same olivine structure as LFP batteries. However, they replace iron with magnesium, zinc, and aluminum. There is speculation as to whether the Chinese website meant manganese instead of magnesium, but the information has not been corrected according to Autoevolution, so we are left to speculation.

Official data shows that the energy density of the CATL (LiMnZnAl) batteries will be about 15-20% higher than that of the LFP types, which hovers around 210 kWh/kg. This is a huge increase, and it’s believed it’s at a similar cost as the LFP battery.

It is also reported that Sunwoda and Eve Energy are all in the early stages of producing LMFP, with samples already being delivered to their partners for testing.

At this stage, we believe at first it will be very hard to get your hands on these cells, so I would estimate 2024 or even 2025 before this cell could be used for energy storage like we do today with the LFP cells.

And we still believe that LFP will have a longer lifespan, simply because of the voltage. We also now recommend a 90% DOD charge profile. 2.8v bottom and 3.45v top for your battery pack. We also believe keeping the draw at under 0.5C is a really good idea if you are wanting to achieve the huge cycle numbers and still have a good battery a few years from now.

Sources
1. CATL Promises M3P Cells For 2023, But What Are They? – autoevolution
2. Tesla Model 3 With CATL’s M3P Battery to Launch in China, Offers Better Range, Lower Price – autoevolution
3. Rumor: China-Made Tesla Model 3 To Get CATL’s M3P Batteries (insideevs.com)
4. Tesla Semi Specs Change, Chinese Model 3 To Use CATL M3P Batteries – CleanTechnica
5. CATL to announce first vehicles to be powered by Qilin Battery on Aug 27 – CnEVPost




Lithium Battery-school News
Is LiFePo4 LFP Lithium safe?

The question many people ask is are Lithium batteries safe?

Well, the answer may shock you, but it’s not totally safe from fire risk, and the evidence is clear, when you know where to look for the answers, we do know that LFP is pretty safe, especially from an explosion. But it can catch fire under the right circumstances, like a direct puncture, especially when fully charged.

  1. Thermal Stability: LFP batteries have a more stable chemistry, which reduces the risk of thermal runaway, a condition where an increase in temperature causes a further increase in temperature, leading to a fire or explosion. This makes them less prone to catching fire compared to other lithium-ion batteries.
  2. Explosion Risk: LFP batteries are less likely to explode because they have a lower energy density compared to other lithium-ion batteries, which means they store less energy and thus have less potential energy to release in an uncontrolled manner.
  3. Puncture and Damage: Even though LFP batteries are safer, they can still catch fire if punctured or physically damaged, especially when fully charged. The internal short-circuiting caused by punctures can lead to localized heating and potentially ignite the battery materials.
  4. Charging and Overcharging: Proper charging practices are essential to minimize risks. Overcharging can lead to increased internal temperatures and potential fire hazards, although LFP batteries are generally more tolerant of overcharging compared to other types.
  5. Usage and Maintenance: Ensuring the batteries are used within their specified limits and are regularly checked for signs of damage can help mitigate risks. Protective circuits and battery management systems (BMS) are crucial in monitoring and maintaining safe operating conditions.

In summary, while LFP batteries are among the safest lithium-ion battery options available, they are not completely free from fire risks under extreme conditions. Proper handling, usage, and maintenance are key to minimizing these risks.

Watch a collection of videos on Youtube

I’ve found a few youtube videos, that show real-world testing of Lithium Batteries

GWL

Testing of LiPo and LiFePo4

HighTechLab

Check out the HighTechLab on youtube for a real-life test.

Electric Chronicles

A test on the different plastic prismatic cells

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