From Selling Goods to Setting Standards: JD.com's Ambition as the "Alliance Leader" of Small Power Batteries
JD.com has not manufactured a single battery cell, yet in less than a year, it has convinced four power battery enterprises to supply products according to its specifications.
Recently, Farasis Energy and JD Auto jointly launched a standardized lithium battery for two- and three-wheeled vehicles. Named "Lithium Battery No. 5," this 74V58Ah product uses automotive-grade A-class cells with an energy density of no less than 275Wh/kg, a room-temperature cycle life of at least 1,500 cycles, and a capacity retention rate of over 80%. It supports continuous discharge at 80A and dual-pack parallel operation.
This marks another move by JD.com in the battery sector since 2026. Prior to this, Gotion High-Tech, Sunwoda, and BAK Power had already entered this system one after another. How can an e-commerce and supply chain platform that does not produce cells persuade four power battery companies with diverse technical routes to supply according to its specifications?
The answer lies not in any single product, but in a gradually clarifying path: JD.com is attempting to compress highly fragmented demand for small power batteries into a few standard models. Using these standards as leverage, it integrates manufacturing upstream, binds scenarios downstream, and extends into battery swapping and recycling.
Farasis Energy Joins In, Completing the Supplier Map
JD.com's actions in the battery field in 2026 began in April.
On April 2, JD Auto and Gotion High-Tech launched the proprietary battery brand "Gongfu Lithium." The first batch of products under "Lithium Battery No. 5" included two specifications: 48V30Ah and 64V45Ah. These use vehicle-grade A-class cells and cover multiple protections against overcharging, over-discharging, overheating, overcurrent, and short circuits. Notably, the 48V30Ah model meets the new national standard 3C certification requirements.
According to plans disclosed at the time, JD.com aims to achieve battery sales of approximately 7.5 million units and revenue of CNY 12 billion within the next 3 to 5 years.
In August, the density of cooperation increased significantly. On August 7, JD.com signed an agreement in Beijing with the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) and Sunwoda to co-build a joint laboratory for robot batteries, focusing on standard formulation, product development, testing verification, and typical applications.
It should be noted that CESI is a public institution directly under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Some media reports referred to it simply as "MIIT," but they refer to the same collaboration.
Also in August, at the World Robot Conference, JD.com's standardized battery series was unveiled. BAK Power participated deeply as a core cell supplier, jointly launching standardized robot batteries with unified interfaces and dimensions. These batteries feature "plug-and-play" functionality and are compatible with humanoid, industrial, wheeled, and other types of robots.
On August 24, Sunwoda Power signed a framework cooperation agreement with JD.com in Shenzhen, covering seven major fields: electric tools, electric wheelchairs, robots, two/three-wheelers, unmanned vehicles and logistics vehicles, drones, and ships. The battery models span from "Lithium Battery No. 1" to "Lithium Battery No. 8."
Farasis Energy's entry on October 30 essentially completed this supplier matrix.
Table 1: Overview of JD.com's Cooperation with Power Battery Enterprises Since 2026
Looking at the timeline, JD.com's collaborations are not sporadic procurements but continuous expansions along the same set of standards and product numbering systems. With four enterprises in place, the manufacturing support for JD.com's standardized batteries has basically taken shape.
Multi-Supplier Governance: Why Bind Four Companies Simultaneously?
The technical routes of the four suppliers barely overlap, and this arrangement is not accidental.
Gotion High-Tech primarily supplies prismatic cells for Gongfu products, targeting commuting and high-range needs for riders. BAK Power excels in cylindrical cells, with mature 18650 and 21700 models suitable for scenarios like robotics where rate capability and size are critical.
Sunwoda Power has the most comprehensive route, covering consumer, power, and energy storage sectors, with technological reserves in solid-state and semi-solid-state batteries. It undertakes framework cooperation across the seven major fields. Farasis Energy is a global representative enterprise for ternary pouch power batteries, specializing in energy density and safety design in this domain.
For JD.com, parallel multi-supplier strategies solve at least three problems.
First is supply assurance and dependency prevention. By binding multiple battery enterprises simultaneously, fluctuations in any single supplier's capacity will not stall overall progress, and the platform avoids ceding bargaining power to any one company.
Second is scenario and specification complementarity. Different voltage platforms, capacities, and material systems correspond to different price points and usage scenarios. Farasis's recent 74V58Ah specification belongs to the high-voltage, large-capacity segment, filling the gap in the premium and heavy-duty section of the product matrix.
Third is cost control. Multiple suppliers competing under unified specifications allow the platform to lower procurement prices through order volume, effectively achieving "volume-based cost reduction."
Farasis's uniqueness also lies in the fact that it is not an unfamiliar supplier integrated temporarily. Public information shows that Farasis was among the earliest domestic power battery enterprises to enter the electric two-wheeler track, with over15 years of application experience in two-wheelers. It has served brands such as Zero, CFMoto, Surron, and Yadea, and possesses 8 years of experience in two-wheeler battery swapping, serving top operators like Zheli Swap, ZhiZu Swap, and China Tower. What it brings is not just pouch cells, but operational resources for battery swapping scenarios.
Of course, the multi-supplier model has inherent challenges. Ensuring consistency in user experience and quality control across cylindrical, pouch, prismatic, ternary, and LFP routes under unified interfaces is a governance cost JD.com must face long-term.
The Power of Standards: Path from Enterprise Specs to National Standards
What JD.com truly wants is not just selling private-label batteries, but the right to define standards.
This upgrade path already has clear steps. In 2024, JD.com officially launched its battery standardization project, organizing ecosystem and supply chain enterprises to formulate internal corporate standards, unifying battery dimensions, interfaces, communication protocols, and key performance and safety requirements.
By 2026, "Gongfu" had formed 14 product models covering six major application scenarios, achieving mass production in robotics and two/three-wheelers.
Moving further up, there is deep involvement in industry standard formulation. In July 2026, JD.com became a member unit of the Limbs and Components Working Group (WG2) of the relevant technical committee, participating in battery standard formulation for humanoid robots and embodied intelligence.
In August, the joint robot battery laboratory was established, directly covering standard formulation and testing verification. More symbolically, JD.com is listed as a primary drafting unit in the mandatory national standard "Safety Technical Specifications for Electric Wheelchair Batteries." Other entities on the same list include battery enterprises like BYD, Sunwoda, and Phylion Battery, as well as terminal manufacturers like Yuwell Medical.
A platform that neither produces cells nor is a traditional equipment manufacturer appearing on the national standard drafting list is itself a noteworthy position.
JD.com's logic for standards runs counter to traditional paths. Traditional industrial standards are usually driven by manufacturing enterprises from the production end; JD.com starts by identifying common needs from massive terminal orders, then proposes product specifications to upstream battery enterprises.
It has the confidence to do so: JD.com's robotics business has connected over 200 robot brands and numerous component enterprises, proposing to invest CNY 10 billion in resources by 2028 and build 80 RoboBase industrial bases over the next five years. The denser the terminal network, the more complete the common needs identified, making the standards more persuasive.
However, the realm of standards is not uncontested. Regarding dimensions, interfaces, safety, and performance of mobile robot batteries, several promotion paths already exist domestically, involving battery enterprises, robotics research institutions, and equipment manufacturers. Enterprise specifications can only be upgraded to group standards, industry standards, or even national standards if adopted by more terminals.
The future competition is not about who can launch a battery, but whose defined specifications are accepted by the most enterprises.
Business Loop Breakdown: How Six Links Interlock
JD.com's standardized batteries are viewed as a platform business because each link connects head-to-tail, forming a self-reinforcing loop.
The first link is standard definition. Unifying dimensions, interfaces, communication protocols, and safety requirements is the foundation for all subsequent links; robot batteries supporting both CAN and RS485 communication protocols aim to ensure compatibility with more machines.
The second link is multi-supplier manufacturing. Gotion, BAK, Sunwoda, and Farasis supply according to unified specifications, merging originally dozens of customers' small orders across dozens of specifications into larger standardized orders, thereby diluting redundant development costs.
The third link is proprietary scenario verification. The 48V30Ah model is already used in JD Home Services and JD Express Delivery. The 64V45Ah model has been deployed at JD Logistics sites in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, accumulating over 10,000 swaps by June 2026. Over 20 robot machine manufacturers have joined the cooperation system for standardized robot batteries. Proprietary transportation and business scenarios provide stable initial orders, solving the cold-start problem for new products.
The fourth link is channel retail. Verified mature products are scaled up through the JD App and JD Auto direct sales, combined with government subsidies, trade-in programs, and free on-site installation, spilling over to external consumers.
The fifth link is battery swapping services. JD Instant Delivery has millions of riders, with full-time riders exceeding 100,000, representing the most rigid group with the strongest willingness to pay for swapping. Swapping takes only tens of seconds, saving 4 to 6 hours compared to charging, directly translating into delivery working hours.
Taking Guangzhou as an example, the monthly rent for an unlimited swap package for 48V30Ah is approximately CNY 259, and about CNY 399 for the 64V specification, close to mainstream swapping prices from providers like China Tower and Hello. Relevant institutions estimate that China's shipments of lithium batteries for light vehicles (two-wheelers) could reach 45GWh in 2026, driven by overlapping scenarios including instant delivery, last-mile express, and shared e-bikes.
The sixth link is recycling and cascade utilization. Trade-in programs create a stable entry point for old batteries. Combined with new regulations on power battery recycling and traceability effective from April 1, 2026, old batteries enter cascade utilization or regeneration, closing the loop.
Data permeates all six links. Smart BMS turns batteries into networked terminals; usage, health, and swapping data flow back to optimize product definition, swapping scheduling, and residual value pricing. JD.com's role evolves from battery user and sales channel to demand aggregator, standard setter, and platform operator.
From launching the standardization project in 2024 to having four power battery enterprises in place by 2026, JD.com proved in two years that in the fragmented small power market, terminal demand itself can become a power to set standards.
Farasis's entry makes the manufacturing puzzle of this model nearly complete. However, whether standards can evolve from enterprise specifications to a public foundation, and whether the CNY 12 billion target can be realized, ultimately depends on whether shipment volumes, swapping density, and profitability models can prove viable.