One cell every second, one battery pack every 2.5 minutes. These are the incredible numbers of the new factory CATL the world‘s largest battery manufacturer with a 37% global market share. (Lg and BYD are distanced with 13%). Churning out a battery in a time five times lower than the average of other companies lays the foundations for a further leap in quality which poses serious questions to the European car industry, increasingly hostage to the Dragon’s mega groups.
The investment, in the new factory which occupies an area of approximately one square kilometre, up to now it has been around 1 billion euros. The automation rate of the lines is 95%. Catl currently uses 13 factories for the production of batteries, one of these will soon come into operation in Hungary and supplies batteries to, in addition to Tesla, also Volkswagen
At the basis of the production of a battery there are materials such as lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel and iron with which the individual cells are composed which are then assembled into the battery. The battery is in fact made up of many modules made of cells that have active materials inside. The production of the cells takes place in companies equipped with particular technology to treat active materials. The resulting mixture is poured onto a thin sheet of metal (aluminum for the cathode and copper for the anode).
At this point the material is heated with special machinery that eliminates the solvent. The roller is then pressed so that it reaches the ideal compactness. The rolls are then cut into squares or rectangles and made into packets with polymer and glass fiber separators. Cell modules form the battery pack, which can be connected in various ways and have different characteristics. That the process lasts only 2 and a half minutes is something that until a few months ago seemed like science fiction.
Il fondatore and presidente di Catl, Zeng Yuqun, he quickly established himself as the most influential figure in the industry. Under his leadership, Catl’s valuation increased to 1.2 trillion yuan (approx 171 billion euros), higher than that of General Motors and Ford combined. Part of this luck is due to equity investments in mining projects in China, Congo and Indonesia. Entry into electric vehicle batteries dates back al 2010 and to a meeting with Herbert Diess, at the time rBMW Purchasing Manager. Today he is among the top thirty richest men on the planet. The grants they were one crucial part of success of Catl and many analysts point to the Made in China 2025 plan as the key to expansion.