Research and analysis of Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturers: REPT Battero
MARKET POSITION / OVERVIEW: Ruipo Energy (REPT BATTERO) is an emerging Chinese battery manufacturer founded in 2017!
The company was founded with an investment from stainless steel giant Tsingshan Holding and is headquartered in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province.
According to the company’s history, the company name “Ruipo” stands for fast, efficient, powerful, and technology.
Although a relatively new company, Ruipo has established a strong track record in commercial vehicle and energy storage applications, and is expected to become the world’s sixth largest battery manufacturer by 2023.
In particular, the company boasts the world’s fourth largest shipments of energy storage batteries and has a strong presence in the industry.
The company also ranks among the top eight in terms of market share for automotive batteries in China.
Key products and applications: REPT primarily manufactures lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells and battery packs.
The company specializes in large rectangular LFP cells and is stronger in commercial vehicles (buses and trucks) and stationary energy storage systems than in passenger cars.
Of course, we also develop battery packs for passenger car EVs, and some of our battery packs have been used in electric models of SUVs and MPVs. In terms of product technology, we are developing a next-generation cell called the “Wending Battery,” which aims to achieve both energy density and safety with a large-capacity cell in the 280Ah class.
By application, energy storage applications are prominent, and we supply many battery modules for large-scale energy storage projects.
We also supply LFP battery systems for commercial vehicles (logistics trucks and buses), which account for the majority of our shipments. Passenger car applications are an area for future expansion.
Key customers and partners: REPT’s customers include many in the energy and commercial vehicle industries.
In the energy sector, REPT has a large 10GWh supply agreement with Energy Vault, an innovative energy storage startup in the US, to provide batteries for their gravity storage facility.
We are also the major battery supplier for the Waratah Super Battery project in Australia, and our batteries are being used in large-scale energy storage projects overseas.
In China, we have supplied batteries for a large-scale energy storage facility for a national grid and an energy storage system for Alibaba’s data center.
In vehicle applications, REPT batteries are used in vehicles such as Shangqi Datong (commercial vans) and Dongfeng Motor (some EV buses).
In addition, REPT’s batteries have been installed in Guangqi’s EV prototype, and the company is reportedly in talks with emerging European EV manufacturers.
REPT is also eager to develop the North American market and has opened a North American office in Irvine, California in 2024.
Recent developments: REPT is growing with a sound business strategy.
The company has carefully scaled its production capacity to meet demand, believing that “overzealous capacity expansion can be more of a liability than an asset.
As a result, the company has been able to maintain high factory utilization rates, which has given it an advantage in product quality and cost control.
We are currently building and operating green battery factories in Wenzhou, Jiaxing, Liuzhou, Foshan, Chongqing and other locations in China, with plans to reach a total annual production capacity of 150GWh by 2025.
Overseas, following the opening of the aforementioned North American base, the company is considering establishing production bases in Southeast Asia and Europe.
On the technology development side, in addition to improving the performance of LFP batteries, we are also expanding our research into ternary batteries and new materials. Although the company is not yet listed, it is said to be considering future capital market funding.
In general, REPT is a remarkable company that is steadily expanding its business scale, driven by the global increase in demand for energy storage.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
