The battery raw materials of popular electric motorcycle brands such as AIMA, Yadea and NIU may be sourced from Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone.
In early spring, at Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd. located in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, workers are busy producing graphene battery raw materials.
On February 17, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at a private enterprise symposium. “His speech has greatly inspired private entrepreneurs.” Zhang Jiasong, General Manager of Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd., said that he made the right choice in returning to his hometown Huaihua to start a business, and it was the right time to make a difference.
As an investment promotion ambassador, Zhang Jiasong has successively introduced projects to Huaihua.
Zhang Jiasong, 51 years old, is a native of Xupu, Huaihua. After graduating from Xiangtan University in 1999, Zhang has been dedicated to the R&D of new materials. He has worked and started business in Xiangtan, Changsha, Shenzhen, Jishou, Yueyang and other places.
In 2012, Zhang Jiasong went south to Shenzhen to study at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During this period, he engaged with Chilwee Group, one of the top 500 enterprises in China and a leading enterprise in the domestic new energy battery industry.
At that time, China relied heavily on other countries in terms of core and key energy storage battery materials. Zhang spent five years at SIAT, where he encountered many challenges such as material function adjustment, experimental component adjustment, battery testing, and battery anti-aging testing.
Zhang Jiasong overcame a number of technical problems in graphene and other new materials. Many products developed by him filled in a void in China.
In 2021, Zhang Jiasong, who was starting a business, received an order of RMB50 million for graphene composite materials. “As the business grew bigger and bigger, I needed to make a change.” Zhang Jiasong said that when inspecting the factory site, he refused the preferential treatment offered by Huzhou of Zhejiang Province and Huizhou of Guangdong Province and finally chose to return to his hometown Huaihua.
In March 2021, Zhang Jiasong invested in and established Hunan Yuxiling New Materials Co., Ltd. in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone.
With the strong support of relevant departments in the park in site selection, project approval, and equipment installation, the company achieved the R&D and mass production of new graphene battery materials in just half a year.
Keenly aware of the good business environment in Huaihua, Zhang Jiasong successfully introduced his partner, Chilwee Group, to Huaihua in 2022.
In 2023, Huaihua City appointed Zhang Jiasong as the first batch of investment promotion ambassadors. Playing the role of a bridge, Zhang promoted Huaihua’s key industries, investment promotion policies, and business environment, made matchmaking efforts in industrial development and investment promotion, and widely invited well-known enterprises and investment institutions to visit Huaihua for inspections and exchanges.
In 2024, Nahao (Hunan) Biotechnology Co., Ltd. settled in Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone. “I provided technical guidance for Nahao Group. Learning that the group had the intention to invest, I strongly recommended Huaihua,” said Zhang Jiasong. He also introduced Yuanwei Food to Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone.
“In these days, I’ve been working to introduce a project in low-altitude economy to Xupu County. The investor is a native of Xupu who started a business in Changsha.” Zhang Jiasong said that as an investment promotion ambassador, he has successively introduced projects to Huaihua.
As a Hunan entrepreneur, Zhang Jiasong saw what “Huaihua speed” was in 88 days.
Recalling the settlement of Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd. in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in 2022, Zhang Jiasong was still excited.
“At the beginning, Chilwee Group wanted me to start a business in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. But I recommended them to establish business presence in Huaihua and conducted three rounds of negotiations with relevant executives with Chilwee Group.
Leaders of Huaihua City and Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone also went to Chilwee Group for inspections and exchanges,” said Zhang Jiasong.
“We were impressed by Huaihua’s business environment and sincerity and believed that the city had resource advantages,” said an executive with Chilwee Group.
In March 2022, Chilwee Group invested RMB1 billion in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone to establish Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd., which specializes in the R&D and production of cutting-edge new materials.
“It usually takes about one year from implementation to production for similar projects. This time, it took only 88 days. We signed the contract in March 2022. On June 26 of the same year, the company’s first energy storage material production line started rolling. We saw what ‘Huaihua speed’ was,” said Zhang Jiasong.
“Huaihua speed” is backed by the considerate services provided by CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee, People’s Government of Huaihua City, and Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone in the entire process.
“I remember that we could not access the factory at that time, and Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone worked around the clock to widen the road.” Road construction was finished before project construction began, according to Zhang Jiasong.
During project construction, functional departments such as environmental protection, safety supervision, industry and commerce, and taxation took the initiative to provide guidance services to prevent enterprises from taking detours.
Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd. has been committed to independent innovation. At present, the company is developing and producing flexible transparent alkali metal conductive materials, high dielectric nanomaterials, lithium battery positive and negative electrode materials, solid capacitor materials, sodium salt (sodium ion) battery materials, graphene battery materials, battery-grade bismuth-based functional materials, non-ferrous metal materials, semiconductor materials, optoelectronic materials, and other new battery materials.
Take graphene lead-acid battery materials as an example. The new materials developed by the company have the advantages of good low-temperature performance, large capacity and high cost performance. They are mainly used in new energy electric motorcycles. The company has developed into a well-known domestic supplier of electric motorcycles.
In 2024, the company’s first phase project achieved an output value of RMB180 million. Its second phase project will be delivered in May 2025 and is expected to start production in 2026.
▲ Zhang Jiasong (left) in the laboratory.
As head of a leading enterprise in the industrial chain, Zhang Jiasong has contributed to the development of the new battery material industrial chain.
As a representative enterprise under the “Return of Hunan Entrepreneurs” initiative, Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd. is the first upstream enterprise of energy storage materials settling in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. It integrates the development and production of power energy storage battery materials.
Zhang Jiasong introduced an industrial chain to Huaihua with his own strengths. The new battery materials industrial chain led by Hunan Chilwee New Materials Co., Ltd. has developed rapidly in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone. Relying on the existing supporting enterprises in the industrial chain such as Yuwen, Yuxiling, and Huami Times, the industrial chain focuses on the development of second-generation new lithium battery materials, electronic-grade lithium carbonate, graphene materials, electronic-grade bismuth-based materials, magnesium secondary batteries, titanium materials, and two-dimensional cutting-edge materials and products.
With its newly developed “green shade black” bismuth-based sulfide material, Hunan Yuxiling New Materials Co., Ltd. has broken the technical bottleneck and outdistanced its peers. “The ‘green shade black’ bismuth-based sulfide material can be widely used in biomedicine, intelligent driving, new energy storage and other fields,” said Sun Keqian, leader of the company’s material genetic engineering project.
“We have attracted a number of new battery materials enterprises to invest in Huaihua. Recently, we have been seeking cooperation with an enterprise in the industrial chain. We will supply the enterprise with electrocondution slurry.” Zhang Jiasong said that he will fully utilize his interpersonal network in the industry and actively align with industrial projects that introduce large-scale and competitive enterprises and extend, supplement and strengthen industrial chains.
When the trees are tall, the phoenix will come; when the flowers are fragrant, the butterflies will come. “As Huaihua further integrates into the national strategy of the Belt and Road Initiative and advances the development of Huaihua International Land Port, I firmly believe that more Fortune Global 500 enterprises and China’s top 500 private enterprises will settle in Huaihua, a favored destination for startups.” Zhang Jiasong said that once a complete industrial chain is formed, upstream and downstream enterprises can work together, form alliances, learn from each other, and grow bigger and stronger.
At present, the new battery material industrial chain in Huaihua Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone has begun to take shape, and Zhang Jiasong is full of confidence in future development.
(Translated by Professor Yu Jie)