BITC’s industry partner is Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), a Chinese battery manufacturer who leads the global market in the development of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. CATL is building its first European factory at Erfurter Kreuz, where it plans to employ up to 2,000 people. BITC will work on BattLife and other projects in cooperation with CATL, driving Thuringian’s ongoing evolution into a center of excellence for battery technology. The Thuringian state government has started emphasizing forward-looking technology transfers; it provided more than 13.5 million euros in funding to build BITC. (hw)
