World’s largest EV battery maker CATL rolls out humanoid robots on factory floor

By Phan Anh December 21, 2025 | 02:53 am PT

Humanoid robot Xiaomo working at CATL’s factory. Photo courtesy of CATL

CATL, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries, has begun deploying humanoid robots at scale at one of its major production sites in central China.

The robots are now operating at CATL’s Zhongzhou facility in Luoyang, Henan province, where the company says it is the first in the world to use humanoid machines extensively for industrial automation. According to the South China Morning Post, the robots are performing complex and high-risk tasks that were previously carried out by skilled human workers, delivering comparable speed while operating with significantly greater endurance.

The robots, known as Xiaomo, were developed by Chinese start-up Spirit AI and are already operating on CATL’s battery assembly lines. Their main job: plugging in high-voltage battery connectors, a traditionally manual process long considered a safety risk for workers, Interesting Engineering reported.

Powered by CATL batteries, the Xiaomo robots run on a Vision-Language-Action AI model that allows them to perceive changes in their surroundings and adjust their grip in real time, such as when a connector’s position shifts unexpectedly.

According to CATL, the robots have achieved a 99% success rate in the task, while handling nearly three times the daily workload of a human worker, thanks to round-the-clock operation without breaks.

The deployment signals CATL’s push toward "embodied AI," artificial intelligence integrated into physical machines, as the company moves to further automate and upgrade its manufacturing operations. It also reflects a broader shift underway across China’s industrial sector, where intelligent, domestically developed robots are being rolled out to boost productivity and reduce labor risk.

Chinese automakers are moving quickly to stay competitive. State-owned Changan Automobile recently invested 225 million yuan ($31.8 million) for a 50% stake in its robotics unit, saying it plans to release humanoid robot prototypes from 2026.

Meanwhile, Guangzhou-based EV maker Xpeng last month unveiled its next-generation humanoid robot, Iron, drawing public praise from Elon Musk, with a target of selling 1 million units by 2030.

Other robotics firms are already testing mass deployment. UBTech Robotics has trialed dozens of Walker S1 robots at the Zeekr factory in eastern China, while Shanghai-based AgiBot plans to deploy nearly 100 manufacturing robots across auto-parts facilities.