CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, is now becoming the fastest as well, thanks to state-of-the-art production lines at its new battery base in China. The developer says its new assembly lines can produce a battery cell per second and an entire EV battery pack in under three minutes.
CATL remains the undisputed leader in EV battery development, not only in China, where it is headquartered, but around the world. Despite a slight drop in net profits in Q3 of this year, CATL looks like it will maintain its crown in 2024 as the largest shareholder in the battery market – a title it has already held for six straight years.
CATL’s share of over 30% of the entire market is no accident either. It continues to develop and produce some of the most advanced battery tech out there. Its energy-dense Qilin batteries have begun rolling out within ZEEKR EVs out of China, and we’ve even seen the company look to the skies by developing cells to support all-electric aviation.
The company has even introduced its own EV startup alongside Chinese tech company Huawei. In August, the company introduced a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) cell called ShenXing – capable of recouping 400km (249 miles) of range during a single 10-minute fast charge.
As CATL’s battery lineup continues to expand, so has its global production footprint. Just recently, the company began operations at a new production base in China, with assembly speeds that should help it keep a leg up on the competition.
CATL’s opens new highly automated battery base in China
Top comment by Steph Soltesz
The TRICK PONY here is that they are continually improving the automation processes as well as the QC processes while cutting production costs and overall pack costs.
Many people don't realize the number of chemistries that CATL makes, it's not just LFP or LMFP nor the various formats from cylindrical cells to pouch to prismatic (several formats) of which can be built into CTP packs.
According to a press release from CATL, operations commenced at the new battery facility located in the Guian New District of southwest China’s Guizhou province on October 27. The location is CATL’s latest home to power and energy storage battery production.
The 235+ acre site will eventually support two phases of the production base, the first of which is now complete and designed to deliver an annual production capacity of 30 GWh. CATL states that the first phase of the battery production base costs approximately RMB 7 billion ($957 million) and utilizes an advanced production line with an automation rate of 95%, delivering “a high production pace and high flexibility.”
Speaking of high pace, CATL relayed that the process from material feeding to a finished battery product is down to one cell per second and one entire battery pack in 2.5 minutes. When phase two is complete, CATL’s battery production capacity in Guizhou is expected to double to 60 GWh.
There is no timeline yet on when that next phase will begin construction.
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