Contemporary Amperex Technology

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Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL)
SZSE: 300750
IndustryAutomotive Li-ion Batteries, Energy Storage Systems, Battery Recycling
Founded2011; 11 years ago (2011)
FounderRobin Zeng
Headquarters
Ningde, Fujian Province
,
China
Key people
Robin Zeng, Huang Shilin, Wu Kai, Zhou Jia
Number of employees
33,078（2020）[1]

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (Chinese: 宁德时代), abbreviated as CATL, is a Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company founded in 2011 that specializes in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, as well as battery management systems (BMS).[2] CATL is known to be the biggest lithium battery manufacturer in the world, controlling nearly 50% of the market share in this sector.[3]

It is headquartered in Ningde, Fujian Province[4] and operates manufacturing bases in Ningde, Fujian province; Xining, Qinghai province; Liyang, Jiangsu province; Yibin, Sichuan province; Zhaoqing, Guangdong province and in its first overseas plant located in Erfurt, Germany. Its four main R&D centers are based in Ningde, Fujian; Liyang, Jiangsu; Shanghai and Munich, Germany.[5]

History[]

CATL was founded in Ningde, which is reflected in its Chinese name ('Ningde era'). The company started as a spin-off of Amperex Technology Limited (ATL), a previous business founded by Robin Zeng in 1999. ATL initially manufactured lithium-polymer batteries based on licensed technology, but later developed more reliable battery designs themselves. In 2005 ATL was acquired by Japan's TDK company, but Zeng continued as a manager for ATL. In 2012, Zeng and vice-chairman Huang Shilin spun-off the EV battery operations of ATL into the new company CATL. Until 2015, former parent TDK held a 15% stake in CATL.[6]

Zeng has applied management styles of TDK and Huawei to his company.[6]

Growth[]

In 2016, CATL was the world's third largest provider of EV, HEV and PHEV batteries behind Panasonic (Sanyo) and BYD.[7] In 2017, CATL's sales of power battery system reached 11.84GWh, taking the sales championship worldwide for the first time. [8]

In 2018, it was announced that CATL would establish a new battery factory in Arnstadt, Thuringia, Germany.[9] CATL's annual sales volume amounted to 21.18 GWh of energy storage capacity in 2018.[10]

As the Chinese government started to phase out subsidies for EVs towards 2020, CATL sought to diversify its revenue overseas.[6] According to , in the year of 2020, CATL's EV battery consumption volume ranks No.1 in the world for four consecutive years.[11] In June 2020, CATL's founder Zeng Yuqun announced that the company had achieved a battery for electric vehicles (EVs) rated as good for 1 million miles (or 2 million kilometres) and was waiting to receive orders.[12][13]

Competition[]

In March 2022, 36Kr reported that EV makers in China have been decreasing their order sizes with CATL. NIO sought additional battery suppliers after a four-year exclusive partnership with CATL. GAC Group also began to place orders from China Aviation Lithium Battery (CALB), a direct competitor of CATL. CALB is known for lithium iron phosphate batteries, which were considered inferior to CATL's ternary lithium batteries due to the latter's longer battery life. This changed in 2019, when multiple GAC Aion S vehicles caught fire due to poor thermal stability of CATL's power cells, which were used for the range.[3] In comparison, CALB's lithium iron phosphate batteries do not release oxygen when they generate electric power, making them less likely to catch fire. CALB has since sought to compete with CATL on the basis of battery safety, releasing a new product in September 2021 with an ultra-thin casing, 25% fewer components, and 40% lighter in weight.[14]

Partnerships[]

Due to its main competitor BYD Company prioritizing battery supply to its own vehicles, CATL was able to capture partnerships with foreign automakers.[6] CATL's battery technology is currently used by electric vehicle manufacturers in the international market, and CATL collaborates with companies including BMW,[15] Daimler AG, Hyundai,[16] Honda,[17] Li Auto, NIO, PSA,[18] Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo and XPeng.[3][13] In China, its clients include BAIC Motor, Geely, GAC Group, Yutong Bus, Zhongtong Bus, Xiamen King Long, SAIC Motor and Foton Motor.[19][20]

In January 2017, CATL announced its plans to enter into a strategic partnership with Valmet Automotive, focusing its collaboration on project management, engineering and battery pack supply for EV and HEV. As part of the partnership, CATL acquired a 22% stake in Valmet Automotive.[21][22]

BMW announced in 2018 that it would buy €4 billion worth of batteries from CATL for use in the electric Mini and iNext vehicles.[9]

Technology[]

According to former Tesla battery supply chain manager Vivas Kumar, CATL "are seen as the leaders of lithium iron phosphate battery technology". The company employs the cell-to-pack method to reduce the amount of inactive weight of its batteries. According to Kumar, unlike competitors such as LG Chem or SK Innovation, CATL is more willing to adapt outside technology, as opposed to applying a full in-house design.[6]

In 2021 the company unveiled a sodium-ion battery for the automotive market.[23] A battery recycling facility is planned to recover some of the materials.[24]

According to 36Kr, CATL prioritises cost and operational efficiency over innovation for new products and production techniques. In production, standardisation helps CATL reduce wastage, stabilise quality of products, and offer cheaper replacements for end users, but also restricts the company's ability to develop products for clients to match their designs.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ "CATL 2020 Annual Report" (PDF).
  2. ^ "CATL Company Profile". www.catlbattery.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-25. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  3. ^ a b c d "CATL is the world's largest EV battery maker, but can the company hold onto its leading position?". KrASIA. 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  4. ^ Reuters. "Chinese Battery Maker Taking on Global Electric Car Market". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  5. ^ CATL Global location
  6. ^ a b c d e Tyler-Dudley, Davis, et al. "CATL: China’s Battery King." May 6, 2021
  7. ^ "World's 3rd largest battery firm may ally with VW for electriv cars in Chin".
  8. ^ "CATL reports YoY net profit growth of 31.4% in 2017".
  9. ^ a b Geuss, Megan (July 9, 2018). "Chinese firm will build battery factory in Germany to supply BMW, Volkswagen". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018.
  10. ^ "Achievement-CATL". www.catlbattery.com. Archived from the original on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
  11. ^ "SNE Research: Global xEV Battery Market - 142.8 GWh In 2020".
  12. ^ "A Million-Mile Battery From China Could Power Your Electric Car". Bloomberg.com. 7 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Tesla battery supplier Catl says new design has one million-mile lifespan". BBC.com. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  14. ^ 张之栋 (19 September 2021). "重磅技术革新！中航锂电发布 One-Stop Bettery". iAutoDaily (汽车公社). Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Electric cars: China's battle for the battery market". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  16. ^ "Hyundai chooses Chinese battery supplier". Nikkei. Archived from the original on 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  17. ^ "China's CATL to supply Honda with EV batteries through 2027". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  18. ^ Reuters Editorial. "PSA chooses LG and China's CATL for batteries in future hybrid car". Reuters UK. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  19. ^ "Battery Maker Helping Power China Electric Car Boom Plans IPO". Bloomberg.com. 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  20. ^ "Global Li-ion Power Battery Industry Report, 2017-2020 with Focus on the Chinese Market - Research and Markets". Retrieved 2017-03-29.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Valmet Automotive and CATL form a strategic partnership in electric vehicle solutions – CATL invests in Valmet Automotive to become an important owner". www.valmet-automotive.com. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  22. ^ Forsell, Tuomas (2017-01-30). "Chinese battery maker CATL buys stake in Finnish car supplier". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  23. ^ "China's CATL unveils sodium-ion battery - a first for a major car battery maker". Reuters. 2021-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-29.
  24. ^ Doll, Scooter (12 October 2021). "Tesla supplier CATL announces $5 billion battery recycling facility". Electrek.
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