ICE vs FCV vs EV, page-590

CATL boss opens up about Tesla electric car battery deal

CATL boss Zeng Yuqun has opened up about the Chinese electric vehicle battery maker deal with Tesla to make electric car batteries.

The Chinese battery maker, known in full as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, has taken a front seat in the electric car battery world having recently revealed a deal with leading electric car maker Tesla that will drive down the costs of batteries.

In the first quarter of 2020, it also took the pole position from South Korean battery maker LG Chem, according to Korean energy industry analysis firm SNE Research, claiming 27.1% of the market ahead of LG Chem’s 25.7%.

We previously learned that CATL’s deal to provide electric car batteries to Tesla will go full tilt from the second half of 2020.

As part of the deal, it is understood that CATL will be instrumental in Tesla’s million mile battery technology which promises to change the face of the transport industry with battery packs that cost just $80/kWh, well under the $100/kWh barrier to bring electric car prices on parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.

The deal will likely put considerable pressure on LG Chem in terms of market share, as well as Tesla’s formerly exclusive battery partner, Panasonic.

Now, Yuqun has spoken about some details regarding the Tesla deal, and his comments hint at a possible future battery production partnership between CATL and the Californian EV maker.

Speaking with China Daily (Hong Kong edition), Yuqun confirmed reports that CATL’s deal with Tesla will not be limited to China, but also that the deal is not limited solely to the provision of batteries.

And although Tesla intends to keep making its own batteries, Yuqun added that CATL is in discussion with Tesla on making batteries collaboratively.

“Musk told me that Tesla wants to produce batteries itself, and as far as we know, their method will not affect ours,” Yuqun was quoted as saying by China Daily.

“And we are discussing how to make better batteries together,” Yuqun said.

According to the report by China Daily, Yuqun also emphasised that CATL is making progress in cobalt-free batteries.

As The Driven reported in February, Tesla was already in advanced discussions to use CATL’s low-cost, no-cobalt lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs.

A report on the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers now also suggests that Tesla could already be ready to start making the “Made-in-China” Model 3 using the low-cost LFP technology (pundits will remember that Tesla lowered the price of the Chinese-made Model 3 in April to bring it within the limits of current Chinese electric vehicle subsidies).

According to the report, a catalogue from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on May 15 showed the locally made Model 3 would be powered by LFP batteries.

Although the catalogue has now reportedly been deleted, it sparked speculation on whether the use of the cheap LFP batteries would be used in China-made Model 3s, bringing the price of the popular electric car down even further.

https://thedriven.io/2020/05/22/catl-boss-opens-up-about-tesla-electric-car-battery-deal/


Tesla said to introduce China-built Model 3 powered by LiFePO4 battery

2020/05/20 From：China Automotive News (Gasgoo)

The China-made Tesla Model 3 powered by lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries has appeared in a catalogue issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on May 15, according to local media reports.

Although the information was deleted afterwards, it still triggered a speculation within the industry that the locally-produced model will be priced lower by using the cheaper batteries.

With a curb weight of 1,745kg, the new model is as heavy as the China-built Model 3's Long-range RWD version that carries a ternary-lithium battery pack.

Thus, if the data was confirmed later, the newly-exposed one might be an upgraded variant of the Standard Range as LiFePO4 battery is outperformed by ternary-lithium battery in density.

Besides, the sedan's measurement still remained unchanged at 4,694mm long, 1,850mm wide and 1,443mm tall. The 2,875-mm wheelbase is as same as that of the existing made-in-China model.

The U.S.-based EV manufacturer is looking to use more auto parts from Chinese indigenous suppliers as part of ongoing efforts to localize its supply chain in the world's largest automobile market.

Particularly, the local supply of battery, one of the most crucial parts for EV development, might be largely associated with the wiggle room for further reducing prices.

The China-made Model 3 has to-day used LG Chem's NCM 811 cylindrical cells.

CATL, China's biggest EV power battery maker confirmed on Feb. 3 it had signed with Tesla, Inc. an agreement, pursuant to which the Ningde-based battery Titan would provide the latter with lithium-ion power batteries from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.

Reuters reported on May 14 that Tesla plans to introduce a new low-cost, long-life battery in its Model 3 sedan in China later this year or early next, expecting to bring the cost of EVs in line with gasoline models, and allow EV batteries to have second and third lives in the electric power grid.

The new battery, which is purportedly designed to last for a million miles of use, is said to be co-developed with CATL.

http://www.caam.org.cn/chn/21/cate_156/con_5230334.html


Could Tesla Reveal A 700-Mile Model 3?

New Battery Tech May Make This Possible

The focus seems to be on the million-mile battery, but what if Tesla surprised us with a 700-mile EV?

Would a 700-mile Tesla Model 3 be an absolute game-changer?

Do we need an EV with that much range? Could Tesla really make such a car?

Let's explore all of this for a bit.

With Tesla Battery Day reportedly around the corner now, the focus of late has been on the million-mile battery that Tesla may well reveal.

While such a battery would surely be big news, what if Tesla has something else up its sleeve, like a mega energy-dense battery that will extend range significantly while at the same time dropping production costs?

This would for certain be even bigger news than a battery that lasts a million miles.

This video explores the possibility of Tesla revealing a battery that combines longevity with a very low cell cost and extremely high energy density.

If it came to be, the video predicts Tesla could have a Model 3 with some 700 miles of range.

We think this figure is far too optimistic, but even pushing the Model 3 past 400 miles would be an amazing achievement.

Since it's a smaller car, we don't think the Model 3 will be able to carry enough battery to go 700 miles at any point in the near future, but perhaps the Model S, Model X or the upcoming Tesla Cybertruck could carry such a high range battery pack.

Even today, the Model S goes 400 miles on a charge and that's with battery tech that in some ways dates back to 2012, so imagine what would happen with today's breakthrough battery tech in the Model S.

One thing is for certain, all eyes will be on what Tesla reveals on Battery Day, which will likely occur as a two-part event with the first coming very soon:

Check out the video above, which details many of the battery-related Tesla announcements that have occurred over time and then concludes with the idea of a 700-mile Model 3.


Within around two years, CATL will exceed 100 GWh of installed lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing capacity.

CATL, one of the leading Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturers for electric vehicles, announced a major expansion of its manufacturing capacity in China.

• Fujian plant expansion to 16 GWh annually (4 billion yuan)
• Jiangsu plant expansion to 24 GWh annually (5.5 billion yuan)
• Sichuan plant expansion to 12 GWh annually (3 billion yuan)

About CATL

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) is a global leader in the development and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, with businesses covering R&D, manufacturing and sales in battery systems for new energy vehicles and energy storage systems. In 2019, the company's EV battery sales volume reached 40.25 GWh worldwide, and making it the world leader in annual EV battery consumption volume according to SNE Research.

Headquartered in Ningde, China, CATL has more than 26,000 employees around the world as of 2019 and subsidiaries in Beijing, Liyang (Jiangsu Province), Xining (Qinghai Province) and Yibin (Sichuan Province)


CATL Starts Construction Of Battery Gigafactory In Germany

Production of lithium-ion cells for EVs to reach 14 GWh in 2022.

On October 18, 2019, one of the leading Chinese battery manufacturers - Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), has started construction of its first overseas battery manufacturing plant in Thuringia, east-central Germany.

The new plant was announced in 2018, after securing a major battery order from BMW, although the list of European automotive customers currently is much longer and includes also Volkswagen, Daimler, Volvo and Bosch.

Partnerships

CATL’s battery technology is currently used by a number of electric vehicle manufacturers. In the international market, CATL is collaborating with PSA, Hyundai, Honda and BMW.

In China, its clients include BAIC Motor, Geely Automobile, GAC Group, Yutong Bus, Zhongtong Bus, Xiamen King Long, SAIC Motor and Foton Motor.

In January 2017, CATL announced its plans to enter into a strategic partnership with Valmet Automotive, focusing its collaboration on project management, engineering and battery pack supply for EV and HEV.

As part of the partnership, CATL acquired a 22% stake in Valmet Automotive.

Valmet Automotive (formerly known as Saab-Valmet) is a contract manufacturer and service provider for the automotive industry. The company offers services in automotive engineering, vehicle manufacturing, emobility solutions as well as in kinematic and convertible roof systems.

Valmet Automotive’s focus areas are premium cars, convertibles, electric vehicles. The company has over 5,000 employees in Finland, Germany, Poland and Spain. The headquarters are located in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The majority of the company is owned by Pontos Group and Finnish government-owned holding company Tesi.

A minority shareholder is the market-leading EV battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology.

In vehicle manufacturing, Valmet Automotive’s customer references include Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Ford, Saab, Opel and Fisker. Valmet Automotive has electric vehicles in series production since 2009.


CATL's LFP CTP Batteries Coming To European EVs In 2020

The Chinese manufacturer announced the strengthening of its commitment to commercial vehicle electrification in Europe.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) has some important news for the European market, where it intends to expand its presence in the commercial vehicle segment as well as bring its all-new LFP CTP (cell to pack) batteries.

First of all, CATL is expanding its partnership with Dutch bus manufacturer VDL Bus & Coach. The main thing seems to be "high-energy density battery system based on its standardized product-LFP CTP (cell to pack)-platform", which will be utilized in VDL electric buses later this year.

In 2019, CATL deployed some 40.25 GWh of EV batteries (according to SNE Research). In Europe, the company already partners with Daimler Trucks & Buses and VWCO's international alliance, e-Consortium as well as with BMW.


CATL Expected To Increase Production Capacity To 137 GWh In 2022

One of the latest forecast says that CATL will increase battery production several times to 137 GWh annually.

According to Digitimes Research, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) is expected to increase its lithium-ion battery production capacity (in-house and joint ventures) to a total of 136.6 GWh in 2022.

The Chinese manufacturer is already considered one of the biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturers.

The volume of roughly 137 GWh would be enough for 1.37 million 100 kWh battery packs annually or proportionally more of smaller packs.

Adamas Intelligence recently reported that CATL increased its market share to 13% (out of nearly 10 GWh EV batteries sold in March) just behind BYD, but still is far behind Panasonic (probably over 26%).

Currently, the market of lithium-ion batteries for passenger plug-in cars is probably beyond 120 GWh annually, probably moving towards 150 GWh).


Chinese battery giant CATL forecasts strong profit growth

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.(CATL), China's largest automotive lithium-ion battery maker, predicted a 20 to 45 percent growth in its net profit attributable to listed shareholders in 2019.

The company forecast that its net profit, excluding non-recurring items, attributable to listed shareholders was between 3.6 billion to 4.22 billion yuan (about 522 million to 612 million U.S. dollars) last year, up 15 percent to 35 percent over the previous year.

The company ascribed the growth to the fast development of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry in the country, increasing demand for its products and the company's market expansion.

It also attributed the growth to its increased manufacturing capacity and effective efforts to control costs.
Net profits of CATL totaled 3.39 billion yuan in 2018. CATL is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

China produced and sold 1.24 million and 1.21 million units of NEVs in 2019, down 2.3 percent and 4.0 percent respectively, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. The mild decline is attributed to the subsidy cut and the overall shrinking car market in China.

However, analysts believe China's NEV industry is still on the fast track. Statistics show that in 2019, the installed capacity of lithium-ion batteries in China amounted to approximately 62.2 GWh, a year-on-year increase of 9.2 percent.

About 51 percent of the batteries are produced by CATL.

Over the past year, the company has made a series of key technological breakthroughs including self-heating technology that enables batteries to warm up from 20 degrees Celsius below zero to 10 degrees Celsius in 15 minutes and cell-to-pack (CTP) batteries that can increase mass-energy density by 10 to 15 percent.

Headquartered in Ningde, east China's Fujian Province, CATL has inked supply contracts with a slew of global car manufacturers including BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler and Honda.


YOU MAY LIKE

China's CATL to power Daimler electric trucks, buses


http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/home.htm


Tesla to Cut Model 3 Price in China to Qualify for Subsidies

Tesla Inc. will cut the price of its standard-range Model 3 in China for the second time this year so it can continue to qualify for government rebates on electric vehicles that are being tightened.

The move will drop the price of the sedan below the 300,000 yuan ($42,400) maximum threshold for electric cars in China to qualify for subsidies, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said.

Model 3s built at Tesla’s factory near Shanghai had started at 323,800 yuan before tax breaks or rebates.

“We are making rapid progress on lowering the production cost in China,” Musk said during Tesla’s quarterly earnings webcast, adding he’s confident the vehicle will still deliver “good” gross margin.

Tesla’s price cut could coincide with the company’s introduction of Model 3s equipped with cheaper batteries from local supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., a person familiar with the matter said earlier.

www.bloomberg.com/asia


Food for thought

More CAT Food

Frank