World's 1st humanoid robot-led EV battery production begins in China

CATL has launched the world’s first large-scale humanoid robot-led production line for EV battery packs at its Luoyang facility in Henan, China. The robot, named Xiaomo and developed by Spirit AI, a startup backed by CATL, performs complex and critical tasks such as high-precision battery connector insertion and End of Line (EOL) and Direct Current Internal Resistance (DCR) testing. These tasks, previously done manually and involving risks like electrical arcing, are now automated with Xiaomo’s advanced Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model, enabling it to adapt to variations in materials and maintain a connection success rate above 99% while matching human cycle times. Xiaomo also monitors connections in real time and switches to inspection mode during pauses, enhancing production reliability and reducing defects. This automation initiative supports CATL’s broader strategy to integrate AI and robotics into industrial manufacturing, significantly boosting efficiency. Xiaomo currently handles continuous production across multiple battery models, achieving nearly three times