For more than a decade, lithium-ion batteries have defined the global power battery market, concentrating technology, capital and supply chains along a single trajectory. That model is now under pressure. Sharp swings in lithium carbonate prices have exposed structural vulnerabilities, forcing the industry to confront a long-ignored question: what happens when the core input cost is no longer predictable?

As competition in intelligent electric vehicles shifts from incremental feature upgrades to full system-level redesign, China’s Horizon Robotics is mounting an ambitious strategic push — one that places it in more direct competition with Tesla.