Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio and Belgian specialty chemicals company Syensqo have teamed up to establish a joint laboratory focused on developing cutting-edge materials for electric vehicles, Syensqo announced on July 2.
Located at Nio’s Nanxiang delivery center in Jiading, Shanghai, the joint lab was inaugurated on June 28 during a visit by Syensqo CEO Ilham Kadri.
Under the agreement, Syensqo Asia CEO Chen Pu and Nio assistant vice president Wang Huizhang signed a collaboration agreement to advance research and development in innovative materials and validate their application in EV technology.
The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of advanced materials tailored for new energy vehicles (NEVs), particularly in electric drives and high-voltage systems, according to Syensqo.
Syensqo, which spun off from Belgian chemicals group Solvay SA in December 2023, specializes in specialty chemicals.
Nio’s establishment of the joint lab marks its latest initiative in enhancing its technological capabilities for EV materials development. In October 2021, Nio achieved a breakthrough by validating heat-treatment-free materials suitable for large die castings, setting a precedent among Chinese automotive companies.