China CATL largest battery factory in the word

Market share reference value: 27.87%; installed capacity: 34GWH

Global status: The world's No. 1 lithium battery giant. A lithium-ion power battery manufacturer in the supply chain of the top international car companies, tesla battery supplier.

Founded in 2011, Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the first power battery manufacturers in China with international competitiveness. It focuses on the research and development, production and sales of new energy vehicle power battery systems and energy storage systems. The global new energy application provides first-class solutions. The core technologies include the R&D and manufacturing capabilities of the entire industry chain in the field of power and energy storage batteries, materials, cells, battery systems, and battery recycling and secondary utilization.

CATL was selected into the "2019 Forbes China's Most Innovative Companies List", and CATL ranked 4th in the 2019 Fortune Future 50 List. Selected as one of the top 100 brands in the 2019 China Brand Power Ceremony. In July 2021, CATL officially launched sodium-ion batteries.

CATL has laid out 8 bases: Shanghai, Ningde, Fujian, Xining, Qinghai, Liyang, Jiangsu, Yibin, Sichuan, Yichun, Jiangxi, Zhaoqing, Guangdong and Thuringia, Germany.

The predecessor of CATL was New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (ATL for short). ATL was formally established in 1999. Zeng Yuqun, Liang Shaokang and Chen Tanghua of Xinke were the original founders. ATL was founded on the basis of the patent of the polymer lithium battery of Bell Labs purchased with more than 1 million US dollars, but at that time, there was a huge loophole in this patent - repeated charging has the problem of bulging, and the battery has the risk of explosion. Zeng Yuqun rose to the challenge and finally solved the problem, achieved the commercialization of the battery, and applied for a new patent. This technology has since become the foundation of ATL. It is worth mentioning that in 2004, it solved the problem of low cycle times of Apple's MP3 lithium battery and successfully entered the Apple industry chain, becoming a global industry giant.

ATL was later acquired by Japan's TDK for $100 million. In June 2008, Chen Tangfa laid the foundation stone for the country's largest polymer lithium-ion battery project with an investment of US$200 million in Lantian, Ningde Jiaocheng, Zeng Yuqun's hometown.

The biggest feature of the Ningde era is the ternary lithium battery with higher battery life. If the lithium iron phosphate battery was selected at that time, the safety was higher, but the battery capacity ceiling was low; the ternary battery had high capacity but low safety. It is worth mentioning that at that time, BYD, the domestic electric vehicle leader, chose the safer lithium iron oxide battery, while the Ningde era all in the ternary battery.

Catl battery-highest energy density battery

CATL attaches great importance to R&D and has more than 3,300 R&D personnel, accounting for 23% of the total. Catl is the battery with the highest energy density, which is related to the continuous R&D investment of CATl. As early as 2017, CATL’s R&D expenditure accounted for 8.16% of the operating income of the year, and more than 2,800 patents have been publicly authorized. If South Korea's LG has a more comprehensive technical reserve and Japan's Panasonic battery technology is more advanced, then the Ningde era has both, with balanced performance. For example, the cost of CATL in 2019 is about 15% lower than that of overseas battery counterparts. It is worth mentioning that the entry of CATL into Tesla's supply chain fully reflects the excellent performance of CATL's products, surpassing the leading overseas lithium battery manufacturers Panasonic and LG.

The circle of friends in the Ningde era is very strong. In domestic joint ventures and marriages with customers, especially for overseas brands to make breakthroughs, important companies lock and cut into the supply chain of high-end independent brands in the form of equity. In terms of domestic brand customers, CATL has maintained long-term strategic cooperation with Yutong Group, SAIC Group, BAIC Group, Geely Group, Fuqi Group, CRRC Group, Dongfeng Group and Changan Group and other leading vehicle companies in the industry. Cars and other emerging vehicle companies (including Internet car companies, smart car companies, etc.) carry out cooperation, and actively deploy in the field of smart cars. Among the global giants, large orders from BMW and Tesla are also coming.