The History of CATL: An Asian Giant 

Back to News
Posted by: Alex Thompson Category: Blog Tags: , , , , , Comments: 0

When it comes to EV battery manufacturing, Chinese company CATL is the market leader, with a 34% market share in 2022. Owned by battery manufacturer BYD, CATL dominates the Chinese EV market and provides batteries for electric vehicles and other applications around the world. In this article, we take a closer look at what makes CATL such a big player in the global EV battery market and take a look at their rise to the top. 

Who is CATL? 

CATL – Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. LTD – is a Chinese battery manufacturer and technology company founded in 2011. The primary focus of CATL is on the production of lithium-ion batteries for vehicle and energy storage systems, and they are the biggest producer of lithium-ion EV batteries in the world. The company is based in Ningde, Fujian Province, China, but operates manufacturing bases in four different provinces. In Europe, CATL has bases in Erfurt and Munich – both in Germany.

The history of CATL 

The company was founded in 2011 in the Chinese city of Nindge. However, CATL has its roots in Amperex Technology Limited (ATL), a Chinese company founded in 1999 by Robin Zeng. Initially, ATL was interested in lithium-polymer production and brought various concepts to the Asian market in the early 2000s. In 2005, ATL was acquired by TDK of Japan, and by 2011, Zeng and Huang Shillin launched CATL as a spin-off. TDK held a 15% stake in CATL until 2015, although that is no longer the case. 

The impressive growth of CATL 

By 2016, CATL was named the world’s third largest provider of EV, HEV, and PHEV batteries, behind only Panasonic and BYD, before moving into first place the following year. CATL’s growth is attributed to the availability of rare earth elements in China and the way that Zeng has led the company since its inception. By 2018, CATL announced that it would be launching in the European battery market, establishing a factory in Germany in the same year. This overseas expansion came as a result of the Chinese government announcing its phasing out of subsidies for EV batteries. 

Lithium-iron phosphate technology 

Perhaps the thing that helps CATL stand out from its competitors is its lead in the development of lithium iron phosphate battery technology. The company is known for its cell-to-pack method, which reduces the amount of inactive weight in its applications. As a result, CATL batteries are more efficient and cheaper than those of their competitors. In 2021, CATL launched a sodium-ion battery for the automotive market, a first of its kind. 

As the demand for EV batteries continues to grow, so to will CATL. If you’re keen to learn more about some of the other leading companies in the battery industry, check out our recent articles profiling the histories of Kore Power and Tadiran.

Share this post

Back to News