Li Auto co-founder, president, and chief engineer Ma Donghui and other executives stated in a media exchange on September 21 that in-house battery development is a confirmed strategic direction for the company, not a backup plan, and has been implemented starting with the new generation L8 model. Liu Zhimin, Senior Director of Power Battery at Li Auto, revealed that the company has invested over 1 billion yuan in battery R&D over the past six years, with annual R&D expenses exceeding 200 million yuan. The executives also pointed out that the after-sales quality performance of their self-developed batteries is currently no weaker than any battery supplier's products, but there is still a gap with CATL in cutting-edge technology. Li Auto is targeting 15C for its next phase of supercharging technology, aiming to achieve "500 km of range added in 5 minutes."