Yes, there is a prominent Chinese startup working on exactly this chemistry. In early April 2026, a company based in Wuhan called AetherRun New Energy Technologies Ltd unveiled their first-generation LNMO (lithium nickel manganese oxide) battery solution. barchart
Just like Morrow Batteries, AetherRun is positioning LNMO as a cobalt-free alternative, describing it as a "third pathway" to compete alongside the two dominant battery chemistries on the market today: LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NCM (nickel cobalt manganese). barchart
AetherRun published test results in April 2026 that showed significant promise in overcoming the historical limitations of LNMO batteries, which typically suffer from manganese dissolution at high voltages and short cycle life. Their results showed: barchart
- Long Cycle Life: Their cells surpassed 2,000 cycles while retaining over 80% capacity at standard room temperature (25°C), and reached 1,000 cycles even at high temperatures (45°C). barchart
- Excellent Cold Weather Performance: They demonstrated strong winter performance, retaining 98% of their capacity at -10°C, and between 82% to 90% at -20°C. This addresses a major pain point for EV owners in colder climates. barchart
The chief scientist at AetherRun, who previously conducted research at MIT under the Nobel-laureate inventor of the lithium-ion battery, noted that the company views LNMO as a "strategic bridge" to solid-state batteries. AetherRun believes that combining LNMO chemistry with a solid-state design could eventually push energy density to 400 Wh/kg. barchart
However, much like Morrow's experience in Europe, industry analysts have pointed out that while AetherRun's laboratory and prototype numbers are highly promising, the real challenge will be scaling manufacturing and maturing the supply chain enough to compete with established giants like CATL and BYD. barchart