Chinese battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.) announced that it has prepared for the production of long-life batteries that enable electric vehicles to run 2 million kilometers.
Currently, batteries installed in electric vehicles are guaranteed for 240,000 km or 8 years for Tesla and 160,000 km or 8 years for models such as Audi e-tron. Battery life for electric vehicles is usually around 320,000 km. However, if the 2 million km or 16-year warranty is true as the CATL claims, there is a possibility that an electric vehicle that can ride for a long time without worrying about battery aging sooner or later.
CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun said that the order has been received and is preparing for production. However, it is said that this longevity battery is only 10% more expensive than the battery for electric vehicles already supplied by CATL. Chairman Zheng Wei-qun also did not say whether there were any cars that decided to install this battery.
Tesla announced that it is developing a long-lasting battery in 2019, and on May 14th, it was reported that it developed its own battery capable of driving over 1.6 million km with CATL. CATL signed a two-year battery supply contract for Tesla Model 3 in February.
Chairman Jeong Wi-qun said that CATL supplies 70% of BMW electric vehicle batteries. CATL built a factory in Germany early, and has relationships with Volkswagen, Daimler Group and PSA in addition to BMW. According to reports, Toyota, Honda, Volvo and Porsche are also on the CATL customer list.
Meanwhile, in the case of Tesla, in the US, Panasonic and LG are working together to supply batteries, and 14% of Tesla vehicles sold in January-March are LG and Panasonic are supplying batteries. By supplying batteries to Tesla, LG took the lead in the world’s electric vehicle battery production in May, and Panasonic, which took second place, is said to have a hard time turning the electric vehicle battery business into a surplus. Related information can be found here .