ZHONGTAI SECURITIES·2025-08-03 09:17Investment Rating - The report maintains an "Overweight" rating for the industry [5] Core Views - The lithium battery sector is expected to enter a 2-3 year upward cycle, with potential improvements in performance and valuation [7] - The report recommends companies such as CATL and EVE Energy, and suggests focusing on solid-state battery technology [7] - The energy storage segment is seeing growth, with companies like XINWANDA planning to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange [7][26] Summary by Sections Lithium Battery Sector - CATL reported a revenue of 178.9 billion RMB in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 7.3%, with a net profit of 30.5 billion RMB, up 33% [13] - The company’s production capacity reached 345 GWh, with a utilization rate of nearly 90% [13] - Solid-state battery commercialization is complex, with expectations for small-scale production by 2027 [14] Energy Storage - XINWANDA submitted an application for H-share listing, with a sales volume of 3.3 GWh in Q1 2025 [26] - The revenue from energy storage systems is projected to grow significantly, with a forecasted increase from 1.11 billion RMB in 2023 to 1.89 billion RMB in 2024 [26][27] - The gross margin for energy storage systems is expected to rise from 19% in 2023 to 20.4% in 2024 [27] Power Equipment - Investment in key energy projects exceeded 1.5 trillion RMB in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 21.6% [32] - The report highlights the rapid growth in renewable energy investments, particularly in distributed solar and onshore wind projects [33] Electric Vehicle Sales - In July, electric vehicle sales in major European countries reached 84,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 42% [18] - Domestic electric vehicle sales show mixed results, with companies like NIO and XPeng reporting varying growth rates [20][24]