CATL Tests Humanoid Robots on Battery Production Lines
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A Spirit AI’s humanoid robot is used to at CATL’s assembly line in Zhongzhou facility.
Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) said on Wednesday that it has supplied batteries for humanoid robots developed by an affiliated startup and has begun testing such robots on its own battery production lines, signaling a cautious push into industrial robotics.
The world’s largest maker of power and energy storage batteries said the robots are being used to perform inspection tasks on battery pack assembly lines, marking a new application beyond its core electric vehicle business.
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Explore the story in 30 seconds
- CATL is testing humanoid robots from Spirit AI Robotics on its battery production lines for inspection tasks, expanding beyond EV batteries.
- These robots, including “Moz,” match skilled worker speed but are limited by hardware, cost, and software, making large-scale deployment unlikely soon.
- Factory environments provide early testing grounds, but industry experts see significant technical and economic barriers to widespread use of humanoid robots.
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Who’s Who
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL)
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) is the world's largest maker of power and energy storage batteries. They have expanded into new electrification scenarios, including supplying batteries for electric ships and aircraft. CATL has also supplied batteries for humanoid robots developed by an affiliated startup, Spirit AI Robotics, and is testing these robots on its battery production lines.
- Borui Capital
- Borui Capital is an investor in Spirit AI Robotics, a startup focused on humanoid robots. This capital firm was founded by Li Ping, who is also a co-founder and vice chairman of CATL, the battery giant. Spirit AI Robotics has successfully raised approximately 1.3 billion yuan ($185 million) through three funding rounds, with Borui Capital being one of its backers.
- Nio Inc.
- Nio Inc. is an automaker mentioned as having experimented with humanoid robots in production settings. Along with Zeekr and BYD, Nio has showcased robots performing inspection, sorting, and handling tasks, often in collaboration with UBTech Robotics Corp. Ltd.
- Geely Holding Group Co.
- Geely Holding Group Co., an automaker, has showcased robots performing inspection, sorting, and handling tasks in collaboration with robotics firm UBTech Robotics Corp. Ltd. They experimented with humanoid robots in production settings, though these demonstrations typically involved simple, repetitive tasks and were short-term.
- Zeekr
- Zeekr, under Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd., has showcased humanoid robots performing inspection, sorting, and handling tasks. These robots are often used in collaboration with robotics firm UBTech Robotics Corp. Ltd. However, these demonstrations typically involve simple, repetitive tasks and are usually short-term.
- BYD Co. Ltd.
- BYD Co. Ltd. (比亚迪股份有限公司) is an automaker that has experimented with humanoid robots in production settings. They have showcased robots performing inspection, sorting, and handling tasks, often in collaboration with robotics firm UBTech Robotics Corp. Ltd.
- UBTech Robotics Corp. Ltd.
- UBTech Robotics Corp. Ltd. is a robotics firm that has collaborated with several automakers, including Nio Inc., Zeekr, and BYD Co. Ltd. They have showcased robots performing tasks like inspection, sorting, and handling in production settings.
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mercedes-Benz, a German automotive giant, has conducted trials with humanoid robots in production settings. These trials, often short-term demonstrations, typically involve simple and repetitive tasks, reflecting the current limitations of humanoid robot capabilities in industrial environments.
- BMW
- BMW, a German auto giant, has conducted trials with humanoid robots in its production settings. These demonstrations, also seen with other automakers, typically involve simple, repetitive tasks and usually last less than a month, highlighting the current limitations of humanoid robot capabilities.
- Tesla
- U.S. media reported that Tesla encountered delays in its plans to deploy thousands of humanoid robots in factories. These delays stemmed from unresolved issues concerning the robots' dexterous hands, highlighting a significant hardware challenge in robotics.
- Nvidia
- Nvidia's autonomous driving team director, Liu Langechuan, believes that humanoid robots are at least five years away from becoming scalable engineering products, despite theoretical breakthroughs. This highlights the significant software limitations still facing the robotics industry.
- Spirit AI Robotics
- Spirit AI Robotics is a startup founded in February 2024. It has raised approximately $185 million through three funding rounds, with an investor including CATL co-founder Li Ping's Borui Capital. Spirit AI developed the humanoid robot "Moz," which is being used by CATL for inspection tasks on battery production lines. Their robots are designed for specific tasks, avoiding issues with complex, human-like hands.
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What Happened When
- February 2024：
- Spirit AI Robotics was founded.
- By December 17, 2025：
- Spirit AI Robotics had raised about 1.3 billion yuan ($185 million) through three funding rounds.
- By December 17, 2025：
- CATL began testing humanoid robots developed by Spirit AI Robotics on its own battery production lines.
- 2025：
- Spirit AI’s humanoid robot, 'Moz', was deployed on battery pack production lines to conduct final functional tests before products leave the line.
- 2025：
- CATL set engineering targets and development plans for the humanoid robot.
- 2025：
- German auto giants Mercedes-Benz and BMW conducted humanoid robot trials.
- 2025：
- Photos released by CATL showed that the Moz robot does not use complex, human-like hands.
- As of 2025：
- CATL had not disclosed the cost of the robot or outlined broader plans for deployment of humanoid robots in its factories.
- As of 2025：
- Industry observers noted that demonstrations of humanoid robots typically last less than a month and involve simple, repetitive tasks.
- As of 2025：
- Battery production lines were already highly automated, leaving little room for humanoid robots to replace existing industrial robots.
- As of 2025：
- Cost and software limitations remained significant obstacles to large-scale deployment and commercial viability of humanoid robots.
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