Envision AESC’s Yichang Energy Storage Gigafactory, the world’s first full-industrial-chain energy storage base with a 100-gigawatt-hour capacity, has recently gone into operation in Yichang, Central China’s Hubei Province. The operational launch also marked the factory’s first product shipment, the export of 790-Ampere-hour large energy storage cells to Germany.
A view of Envision AESC’s Energy Storage Gigafactory in Yichang City, Hubei Province. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The gigafactory is being developed in two phases by China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC). Construction on Phase I, designed for an annual battery cell production capacity of 40 GWh, began in October 2025 and was completed in less than 12 months. Phase II started construction in April, featuring a 60-GWh battery cell production capacity and a matching 60-GWh energy storage system capacity. Once fully operational, the complex will be able to supply the entire industrial chain, ranging from battery cells to energy storage systems.
The 790-Ah cells mass-produced by the plant are the world’s largest prismatic wound cells to date. Their volumetric energy density exceeds 440 watt-hours per liter, supporting more than 12,000 cycles of charge and discharge, and their round-trip efficiency reaches 96 percent.
By fostering innovation in material technology and monitoring the entire production process through artificial intelligence tools, the project team has overcome key challenges related to the safety and manufacturing consistency of large-format battery cells.
The 790-Ah cells have passed various safety tests and have obtained official certification from authoritative testing institutions.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
