CATL bets on batteries for BMW, Volkswagen to win in Europe as it revs up Hungary plant
CATL is doubling down on its technology to supply European carmakers such as BMW and Volkswagen to compete with BYD’s proprietary blade batteries
The two battery variants show how CATL is doubling down on its technology to become the go-to supplier for European carmakers such as BMW and Volkswagen, as it provides them with tailor-made power sources to compete with BYD’s proprietary blade batteries.
“The product launches represent an active response to the urgent demand for electrification in the European market,” CATL said. “We are determined to help accelerate the transition into green transport around the globe.”
The two battery types are expected to roll out of CATL’s €7.3 billion (US$8.6 billion) factory in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary. The plant has 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of production capacity, enough to power 2 million EVs, each with a driving range of 500km. Production is scheduled to start at the end of this year.
Debrecen is CATL’s second production facility in Europe since the Fujian province-based company’s factory in Germany’s Thuringia state began production in 2023 with 14GWh of capacity.
“CATL is sending a message to the European market that it will design more products to cater to their demands,” said Davis Zhang, a senior executive at Suzhou Hazardtex, a supplier of specialised batteries. “Some of the products require R&D efforts to fit in with the European EVs.”