CATL

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (simplified Chinese: 宁德时代; traditional Chinese: 寧德時代; pinyin: Níngdé Shídài), 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] With a market share of 32.6% in 2021, CATL is the biggest lithium-ion battery manufacturer for EVs in the world, producing 96.7 GWh of the global 296.8 GWh, up 167.5% year on year.[3][4] It grew even further in 2022, increasing its market share to 37%.[5] The company plans to have a manufacturing capacity target of more than 500 GWh by 2025 and more than 800 GWh by 2030.[6]

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited
Native name
宁德时代
SZSE: 300750
Industry
Founded2011 (2011)
FounderRobin Zeng
Headquarters
Ningde, Fujian
,
China
Key people
Number of employees
33,078（2020)[1]
Websitewww.catl.com

It is headquartered in Ningde, Fujian[7] and operates manufacturing bases in Ningde, Fujian province; Xining, Qinghai; Liyang, Jiangsu; Yibin, Sichuan; Zhaoqing, Guangdong 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.[8]

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.[9]

Zeng has applied management styles of TDK and Huawei to his company.[9]

Growth

China's battery sector, has decoupled from the monopoly of western technology due to China's supply of rare earth elements essential in the production of batteries, accounting for more than 40% of the world's collection. It has joined Tesla's battery supply chain and the supply chains of European and American vehicle manufacturers, in addition to defeating Panasonic of Japan and L.G. Chemical of South Korea. As a result, CATL leads the market in power batteries with a 33 percent market share.[10]

In 2016, CATL was the world's third largest provider of EV, HEV and PHEV batteries behind Panasonic (Sanyo) and BYD.[11] In 2017, CATL's sales of power battery system reached 11.84GWh, taking the lead worldwide for the first time. [12]

In 2018, it was announced that CATL would establish a new battery factory in Arnstadt, Thuringia, Germany.[13] CATL's annual sales volume amounted to 21.18 GWh of energy storage capacity in 2018.[14]

As the Chinese government started to phase out subsidies for EVs towards 2020, CATL sought to diversify its revenue overseas.[9] According to SNE Research, in the year of 2020, CATL's EV battery consumption volume ranks No.1 in the world for four consecutive years.[15] 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 1.6 million kilometers) and was waiting to receive orders.[16][17] In 2021, CATL is now the largest maker of mid- to large-sized batteries for electric vehicles.[18] In the first half of 2022, CATL is ranked first in the world with a market share of 34 percent according to SNE research.[19]

In 2022, it was announced that CATL would establish a new battery factory in Debrecen, Hungary.[20]

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.[4] 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.[21]

Partnerships

Due to its main competitor BYD Company prioritizing battery supply to its own vehicles, CATL was able to capture partnerships with foreign automakers.[9] CATL's battery technology is currently used by electric vehicle manufacturers in the international market, and CATL collaborates with companies including BMW,[22] Daimler AG, Hyundai,[23] Honda,[24] Li Auto, NIO, PSA,[25] Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo and XPeng.[4][17] In China, its clients include BAIC Motor, Geely, GAC Group, Yutong Bus, Zhongtong Bus, Xiamen King Long, SAIC Motor and Foton Motor.[26][27]

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.[28][29]

BMW announced in 2018 that it would buy €4 billion worth of batteries from CATL for use in the electric Mini and iNext vehicles.[13]

In July 2022, Ford announced buying batteries from CATL for use in the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning models.[30]

In October 2022, CATL expands deal with Vinfast to provide skateboard chassis for EVs and ‘enhance global footprint’[31]

Technology

According to former Tesla battery supply chain manager Vivas Kumar, CATL "are seen as the leaders of lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP battery) technology". The company employs the cell-to-pack method to reduce the inactive weight of its batteries. It increases volume utilization rate by 15% to 20%, doubles the production efficiency and reduces the number of parts for a battery pack by 40%, while the energy density of a battery pack jumps from 140–150 Wh/Kg to 200 Wh/Kg.[32]

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.[9]

In 2021 the company unveiled a sodium-ion battery for the automotive market.[33] A battery recycling facility is planned to recover some of the materials.[34]

According to 36Kr, CATL prioritizes cost and operational efficiency over innovation for new products and production techniques. In production, standardization helps CATL reduce wastage, stabilize 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.[4]

In 2023, CATL introduced its M3P battery, offering a 15% increase in energy density, reaching 210 Wh/kg. The battery replaces the iron in the lithium iron phosphate battery with a combination of magnesium, zinc, and aluminum.[35]

See also

References
  1. "CATL 2020 Annual Report" (PDF).
  2. "CATL Company Profile". catlbattery.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  3. "SNE Research: Global xEV Battery Market Exceeded 296 GWH in 2021".
  4. "CATL is the world's largest EV battery maker, but can the company hold onto its leading position?". KrASIA. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  5. "Global EV battery market share in 2022: CATL 37%, BYD 13.6%". 8 February 2023.
  6. "LFP to dominate 3TWh global lithium-ion battery market by 2030". 22 March 2022.
  7. "Chinese Battery Maker Taking on Global Electric Car Market". Fortune. Reuters. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  8. "Company Profile". www.catl.com.
  9. Tyler-Dudley, Davis, et al. "CATL: China’s Battery King." 6 May 2021
  10. "US-China Trade War Recap - 中美貿易戰回顧". THE KEITH & EVEN GROUP.
  11. "World's 3rd largest battery firm may ally with VW for electric cars in China". Green Car Reports.
  12. "CATL reports YoY net profit growth of 31.4% in 2017". Gasgoo.
  13. Geuss, Megan (9 July 2018). "Chinese firm will build battery factory in Germany to supply BMW, Volkswagen". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018.
  14. "Achievement-CATL". catlbattery.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  15. "SNE Research: Global xEV Battery Market - 142.8 GWh In 2020". InsideEVs.
  16. "A Million-Mile Battery From China Could Power Your Electric Car". Bloomberg.com. 7 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020.
  17. "Tesla battery supplier Catl says new design has one million-mile lifespan". BBC. 8 June 2020. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  18. "CATL outgrows the battery competition". Electrive.com. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  19. "2022 1H Global[1] EV & Battery Performance Review". SNE research. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  20. "EUR 7.4 BN Battery Plant to be Built in Debrecen". hungarytoday.hu. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  21. 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.
  22. "Electric cars: China's battle for the battery market". Financial Times. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  23. "Hyundai chooses Chinese battery supplier". Nikkei. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  24. "China's CATL to supply Honda with EV batteries through 2027". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  25. "PSA chooses LG and China's CATL for batteries in future hybrid car". Reuters Editorial. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  26. "Battery Maker Helping Power China Electric Car Boom Plans IPO". Bloomberg.com. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  27. "Global Li-ion Power Battery Industry Report, 2017-2020 with Focus on the Chinese Market - Research and Markets". Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  28. "Valmet Automotive and CATL form a strategic partnership in electric vehicle solutions – CATL invests in Valmet Automotive to become an important owner". valmet-automotive.com. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  29. Forsell, Tuomas (30 January 2017). "Chinese battery maker CATL buys stake in Finnish car supplier". Reuters. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  30. White, Joseph; Klayman, Ben (21 July 2022). "Ford announces series of deals to accelerate EV push". Reuters. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  31. Scooter Doll, Scooter (31 October 2022). "CATL expands deal with Vinfast to provide skateboard chassis for EVs and 'enhance global footprint'". Electrek.
  32. "CATL, BAIC BJEV jointly unveil the world's first cell-to-pack battery pack". 30 September 2019.
  33. "China's CATL unveils sodium-ion battery - a first for a major car battery maker". Reuters. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  34. Doll, Scooter (12 October 2021). "Tesla supplier CATL announces $5 billion battery recycling facility". Electrek.
  35. Bleakley, Daniel (27 March 2023). "Tesla supplier CATL to produce M3P batteries that will deliver big boost in range for EVs". The Driven. Retrieved 27 March 2023. The world's largest battery manufacturer CATL is to begin production of its M3P batteries, which are 15 per cent more energy dense than LFP (Lithium iron phosphate) batteries, and will perform better and cost less than nickel and cobalt-based batteries...The increased energy density now at (210 kWh/kg) will enable EVs like the Tesla Model 3 to get a range of around 700km with a similar sized battery pack to the existing LFP batteries CATL currently supplies Tesla.
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