Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) is opening a European factory in Thuringia, Germany, as the region’s auto industry gears up to mass-produce electric vehicles (EVs). A project agreement between CATL and the Free State of Thuringia has been signed today as part of the German-Chinese intergovernmental consultations in the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. This signifies the first time that CATL is producing its EV batteries outside of China. The move emphasizes CATL’s commitment to the European automotive market in general and the growth opportunities electric vehicles represent in Europe and specifically in Germany.
Europe is one of the key regions for CATL’s strategic growth. The company underlines the market significance and potential by opening its first production facility outside China in Germany. The reasons for selecting Germany are manifold, and include
- staying with customers to understand the local market requirements and to offer quicker response to their needs.
- offering solutions to European OEMs such as BMW, Daimler and VW (in alphabet order), amongst others, which have been produced in Germany.
- the integration of European intelligent manufacture know-how and expertise regarding cutting-edge battery Technologies
As the world’s largest lithium-ion EV battery manufacturer, CATL continuously improves the reliability and productivity of its products, thereby driving the acceptance of the technology. The highly automated new battery facility will be scaled to produce 14GWh capacity and create about 600 new jobs. The facility is planned to occupy a 70 ha space in the “Erfurter Kreuz” industrial area.
For Thuringia’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Wolfgang Tiefensee, the investment is an “new milestone for industrial policy setting with a tremendous long-term effect” – for CATL itself, for the European automotive industry, but also for the business location of Thuringia. “The first European production site for battery cells ever, will be in Thuringia”, Tiefensee said. “The most important investment decision of the last ten years will catapult our state into the major league of battery manufacturing and
research for years to come.” The state government expects to attract additional companies from the battery technology sector and materials supply industry, positioning it as leading in innovative EV technologies.
“After intensive negotiations over more than one year in China and in Germany we succeeded in persuading CATL of Thuringia”, Tiefensee continued. "We are pleased that a world market leader like CATL is relying on Thuringia to drive forward its growth and the development of its battery technology."
CATL will set up a project company in Thuringia as an independent company which concerns itself with manufacturing, R&D and logistics.
“Building a smart battery plant in Germany is our first step of European investment plan, and this would be beneficial for the cooperation between European OEMs and CATL.” Said Dr. Robin Zeng, Chairman of CATL. “By bring the most advance lithium-ion battery technology to Germany and developing the local deliver ability, CATL is getting closer the customers, with which CATL is able to offer even better product solutions and faster response to our customers.”
“We believe that battery technology is a key pillar for the future of e-mobility,” said Robert Galyen, CATL CTO. “We are excited to bring our best-in-class automotive battery products and solutions to the European market.”
About Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd.
Founded in 2011 and publicly listed in 2018, Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) develops and manufactures lithium-ion batteries and battery systems for e-mobility as well as energy storage solutions. Main business also covers battery management systems, battery reuse and battery material recycling. CATL ranks as No.1 in the global EV battery industry with a 12 GWh annual shipment in 2017.
By December 31, 2017, CATL has 3,425 R&D employees, which representing 23.28% of total employees. CATL has branch offices in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Qinghai, and Foshan in China as well as in Munich, Germany, and Paris, France, Japan and USA. For further information, please visit: http://www.catlbattery.com/.
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Elaine Huang
Email: huangyil(at)catlbattery.com
