Asahi Kasei Signs First License Agreement with High Chemical for Acetolyte™ Electrolyte Technology in the Chinese Market

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 24, Asahi Kasei Corporation announced that it has signed its first non-exclusive production and sales license agreement for Acetolyte™ electrolyte technology in the Chinese market with High Chemical (Shanghai) International Trading Co., Ltd.. Under the agreement, Asahi Kasei will grant Shanghai High Chemical a non-exclusive license for the production and sale of this technology, allowing Shanghai High Chemical to supply electrolytes using this technology to domestic battery manufacturers.

Acetolyte™ is a high-ionic-conductivity electrolyte technology containing acetonitrile, independently developed by Asahi Kasei. With its ultra-high ionic conductivity, this technology reduces internal battery resistance and enhances output power, maintaining excellent performance under severe temperature conditions while simultaneously improving low-temperature output and high-temperature durability. Additionally, Acetolyte™ helps lower battery costs, enables battery pack miniaturization, and further increases battery energy density.

The technology's performance has been validated in commercial applications. In November 2025, Asahi Kasei signed a technology license agreement for Acetolyte™ with German battery manufacturer EAS Batteries. Ultra-high-power lithium iron phosphate battery cells using this technology have been officially sold by EAS since March of this year. According to Asahi Kasei, these cells achieve an output improvement of up to approximately 60% compared to conventional electrolytes. The cell is a cylindrical lithium iron phosphate battery with a rated capacity of 22 Ah, delivering an output power of 2550 W/kg during continuous discharge and a maximum output of 3760 W/kg under 2-second pulse discharge conditions. At room temperature, even under high-load conditions such as 100% depth of discharge, it retains 80% of its initial capacity after 2,400 charge-discharge cycles. EAS is also advancing evaluations for applying this technology to next-generation 46-series cells, targeting commercialization within 2026.

Shanghai High Chemical is affiliated with High Chemical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) and serves as its core trading entity for the Chinese market. The company has approximately 20 years of business experience and extensive customer resources in the domestic battery materials sector. The two parties will collaborate on developing domestic customers, establishing a localized supply system in China, and accelerating product delivery to Chinese customers.

This collaboration is a key initiative in Asahi Kasei's technology licensing strategy. Under the "Medium-Term Management Plan 2027" announced by Asahi Kasei in April 2025, the company introduced the R&D philosophy of "Nurturing Seeds, Changing the Future" and is advancing the TBC (Technology value Business Creation) strategy based on intangible assets, monetizing these assets through technology licensing and other means. The company plans to create more than 10 technology licensing businesses during fiscal years 2025 to 2027, aiming to achieve cumulative profit contributions exceeding 10 billion yen around 2030.

Asahi Kasei stated that signing the first license agreement for Acetolyte™ in the Chinese market is an important step in accelerating the technology's global business expansion. Going forward, Asahi Kasei will continue to expand the application of Acetolyte™ in areas such as new energy vehicles and energy storage.