GAC Group's battery subsidiary Inpai has rolled out its 300,000th power battery pack, a milestone that underscores the automaker's deepening vertical integration in electric-vehicle core components. The production milestone, announced on October 15, comes as more Chinese automakers are moving to take greater control over battery technology, according to PCauto.
While several automakers have recently made headlines for battery-related investments—Li Auto taking a stake in Sunwoda, Xiaomi launching its Long Arm battery, and Aito bringing in Gotion and CALB—most still focus on pack integration and battery management system (BMS) software, with core cell technology sourced from external suppliers. In contrast, GAC says it has built a complete in-house chain spanning materials, cells, BMS, packs, and vehicle integration.
From lab to production line
GAC began battery system and BMS development in 2011, started cell research in 2017, and opened a cell pilot line in 2022. Its Inpai factory was completed in 2023, and in 2025 the company passed an industry-first 'twist test' on a fully charged cell. The 300,000th pack milestone means GAC has successfully scaled its battery technology from the lab to mass production.
Unlike the common 'buy cells, assemble packs, install in cars' approach, Inpai can custom-design cells based on vehicle requirements. The company works closely with GAC's Aion and Hyptec brands, with vehicle needs feeding directly into R&D, improving customization efficiency by over 20%. Inpai batteries are already used in models like the Aion UT, N60, and i60. The Aion i60, equipped with an Inpai battery, achieves a CLTC range of 700 kilometers (about 435 miles, or roughly 560-595 km WLTP est.), and its sales have exceeded 10,000 units per month.
The Inpai smart factory is the first in the lithium battery industry to pass the national Level 4 certification for intelligent manufacturing capability, and in 2024 it was selected alongside Xiaomi and Seres for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's first batch of 'excellent-level intelligent factories'. The production line runs at a pace of 90 parts per minute (PPM), 80% faster than the industry average of 50 PPM, with defect control at the parts-per-billion level and over 1,000 AI visual inspection points.
Safety and durability as selling points
GAC has emphasized extreme safety testing for its batteries. In 2021, the company's Blister Battery 1.0 was the first in the industry to pass a nail penetration test on a ternary lithium cell without catching fire. In 2023, Blister Battery 2.0 passed a full-pack gunshot test, and in 2025, the fully charged cell passed the 'twist test'—a rigorous test that subjects the cell to tension, compression, bending, and twisting simultaneously, causing large-scale tearing of the electrode plates. The cell remained stable in voltage, current, and temperature, with no smoke or fire.
The battery's performance is supported by short-blade stacking, flexible tab design, nano-ceramic coated separators, flame-retardant electrolyte, high-strength aluminum casing, and high-precision cutting and stacking processes. Blister Battery technology has been installed in over 1.62 million vehicles, covering more than 162.7 billion kilometers of safe driving. The micro-crystal ultra-high-energy lithium iron phosphate cell has an energy density of 195 Wh/kg, supports over 4,000 fast-charge cycles at room temperature and 3,300 cycles at high temperature, and can power a vehicle for over 1.5 million kilometers.
GAC's self-developed technology extends beyond batteries. The 2027 Aion RT features the world's first mass-produced Quark Drive 2.0 amorphous alloy electric drive, with a motor iron core thickness of just 0.025 mm and a carbon fiber rotor, reducing iron core losses by 75% and achieving 99% peak efficiency. The technology recently won the top prize at the 51st Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.
Inpai's supply strategy remains measured: it prioritizes meeting the needs of GAC's own brands—Hyptec, Aion, and Trumpchi—before gradually expanding to external customers and overseas production. As the industry debates whether automakers should build their own batteries, GAC's 300,000th pack suggests that the company has chosen to take control of the definition, manufacturing, and safety of its batteries.
