Chinese battery giant CATL has just launched its new domestic electric vehicle battery production plant in Guian New District, Guizhou. According to local reports, it has a capacity to produce one battery cell per second.
About the Guizhou battery factory
As mentioned, CATL’s new electric vehicle battery factory is in the Guian New District in the province of Guizhou. It reportedly commenced energy storage battery production on Friday with the potential to reach 60 GWh annual capacity once fully operational, Teslarati indicated.
Notably, the roughly 1,435 mu production base has two development phases. The first phase, which covers around 885 mu (9,526 sq. ft.) land area, officially launched operations on October 27.
CATL disclosed approximately RMB 7 billion (~$960 million) in investment for the initial development phase. In return, it is expected to generate 30 GWh of annual production capacity.
The Phase II of the site development will boost the set annual production output to 60 GWh.
Impressive production rate
Electrive noted that CATL’s new production base has a production rate of one battery cell per second or one battery pack per 2.5 minutes from material feeding to the finished product.
CATL claims that this battery cell production speed is due to the factory’s 95% automation rate, enabling a fast production pace and high flexibility.
This remarkable production rate will undoubtedly aid CATL’s efforts to ramp up battery production to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle batteries amid the global e-mobility shift.
CATL’s dominance
CATL continues to lead the global power battery industry with a market share of 36.9% from January to August. According to SNE Research, the Chinese company advanced as the sole battery manufacturer to surpass 30% market share.
Notably, CATL is among the key battery suppliers of BEV industry leader Tesla. That said, it is unsurprising that CATL has a strong presence in the global market.
CATL reported a 4.3% quarter-on-quarter decline in net profits to RMB 10.43 billion (~$1.4 billion) in the third quarter. Nonetheless, this figure represented a 10.7% year-on-year growth, according to the report.
Interestingly, previous reports imply that Tesla is mulling a potential partnership with CATL for a new US battery factory. However, the Musk-led company has not yet verified the reports.
