What happened
On Sept. 3, the 2026 World Power Battery Conference was held in Yibin, Sichuan, drawing chairmen from CATL, Chery, EVE Energy and GCL Group. Several listed platforms involved, including CATL, Chery, EVE Energy, GCL Technology and GCL Energy, had a combined market value close to ¥2tn on that day.
Executives questioned whether the industry is moving too quickly as more than 600 new models hit China's market this year, nearly three per day. CATL's chairman, Zeng Yuqun, appearing by video, said he feels like standing at the edge of an abyss and treading on thin ice while making power batteries. He warned of eye-catching batch failures and argued that quality is not detected but designed and manufactured. Chery's Yin Tongyue said electric vehicles must not become instant cars, but should be reliable, durable and classic products.
Beyond speed, the talks also explored how profits should be divided across battery, auto and material supply chains, with EVE's Liu Jincheng calling peers probiotics rather than pests. Executives also looked toward future growth from energy storage, AI and new applications beyond cars.
Why it matters
The shift in tone from leading executives carries weight because China's new-energy vehicle industry has long been defined by rapid launches and aggressive iteration. If quality slips as development cycles shorten, even rare battery failures could undermine consumer trust across the entire supply chain.
The debate also shows that the industry is moving beyond a pure growth mindset toward a more mature question: how to keep the chain sustainable by sharing profits fairly and protecting the resources needed for the next round of innovation.
Key facts
The 2026 World Power Battery Conference took place on Sept. 3 in Yibin, Sichuan.
Zeng Yuqun of CATL, Yin Tongyue of Chery, Liu Jincheng of EVE Energy and Zhu Gongshan of GCL Group were among the speakers.
More than 600 new car models have been launched in China so far this year, close to three per day.
What to watch next
Whether calls for greater caution lead to concrete measures such as life-cycle-based battery risk evaluation and stricter cross-industry quality standards.
Whether automakers, battery makers and material suppliers can actually redesign profit-sharing mechanisms instead of repeating short-term price negotiations.
Whether energy storage, AI-related power demand, eVTOL aircraft, robots, electric ships and construction machinery become the next major growth engines beyond the EV market.