China EVs: CATL, world’s top battery maker, plans first plant in Beijing to supply Li Auto and Xiaomi

CATL, which had a 37.4 per cent share of the global battery market last year, will start construction on the Beijing plant this year, city’s economic planner says

Ningde-based firm plans to deliver its Shenxing battery, which can offer 400km of driving range with just 10 minutes of charging, before the end of the first quarter

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CATL’s superfast charging battery Shenxing is displayed at the International Motor Show in Munich, Germany, in September last year. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:40pm, 15 Jan 2024Updated: 2:57pm, 13 Mar 2025

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer, will build its first plant in Beijing to tap the rising demand for battery-powered cars in mainland China.

CATL’s plant will help China’s capital city form a complete supply-chain for EV production, as Li Auto, the country’s top electric-car start-up, and smartphone maker Xiaomi, both based in Beijing, step up the development of new models.

CATL, based in Ningde, eastern Fujian province, will begin construction on the plant this year, according to a statement by the Beijing Commission of Development and Reform, the city’s economic planning agency, which did not provide details about the plant’s capacity or launch date. CATL declined to comment.

The company, which had a 37.4 per cent share of the global market with an output of 233.4 gigawatt-hours of batteries in the first 11 months of 2023, is set to become a key vendor to Li Auto and Xiaomi when the smartphone maker’s Beijing plant becomes operational, according to analysts.

CATL will serve Li Auto, which has a plant in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Li Auto is already a major player in China’s premium EV segment, and Xiaomi has the potential to become one, said Cao Hua, a partner at private-equity firm Unity Asset Management.