Photo: CATL
Tesla battery supplier CATL has received its second partial approval from the land of Thuringia for its first European plant in Germany. The new production facility dubbed Contemporary Amperex Technology Thuringia GmbH (CATT) is conveniently located at about a 3.5-hour drive from Giga Berlin. This probably means an LFP-powered Tesla Model Y will soon enter production at Gruenheide.
CATL’s $1.8 billion investment in Germany will supply carmakers in Germany with LFP batteries. Although CATL does not name any specific company, Tesla is probably the only carmaker in Germany that could use enough LFP batteries to justify the investment. Other carmakers, like Volkswagen, have agreements in place with Korean battery makers like SK Innovation and LG Energy Solutions while also investing in battery technologies on their own.
The initial capacity for the CATL battery factory is 8 GWh per year which is enough for 100,000 electric vehicles provided they have an 80 kWh battery. In the case of the Chinese Model Y with an LFP battery (Standard Range), the battery capacity sits at 60 kWh, so CATL would be able to equip more than 133,000 cars. This represents roughly a quarter of Giga Berlin’s capacity, but we expect CATL to step up their game in Germany to meet higher demand if necessary.
“CATT provides a fundamental impetus for the urgently needed energy transition, and we are glad to be the first company to receive approval to manufacture batteries ‘Made in Germany’,” said Matthias Zentgraf, CATL’s President for Europe.
The first German-made batteries should go to partners by the end of the year when the plant should employ 1,500 workers. The goal is to reach the planned production capacity of 14 GWh and create 2,000 jobs in Germany. This would allow CATL to supply enough batteries to build 250,000 Tesla Model Ys.
The initial capacity for the CATL battery factory is 8 GWh per year which is enough for 100,000 electric vehicles provided they have an 80 kWh battery. In the case of the Chinese Model Y with an LFP battery (Standard Range), the battery capacity sits at 60 kWh, so CATL would be able to equip more than 133,000 cars. This represents roughly a quarter of Giga Berlin’s capacity, but we expect CATL to step up their game in Germany to meet higher demand if necessary.
“CATT provides a fundamental impetus for the urgently needed energy transition, and we are glad to be the first company to receive approval to manufacture batteries ‘Made in Germany’,” said Matthias Zentgraf, CATL’s President for Europe.
The first German-made batteries should go to partners by the end of the year when the plant should employ 1,500 workers. The goal is to reach the planned production capacity of 14 GWh and create 2,000 jobs in Germany. This would allow CATL to supply enough batteries to build 250,000 Tesla Model Ys.
Our German plant #CATT has received the 2nd partial approval for battery cell production! Located in Arnstadt, Thuringia, CATT, the first cell production facility in Germany, is expected to start cell production at the end of 2022.
— CATL (@catl_official) April 6, 2022
For more information: https://t.co/8Jrba2YKSn pic.twitter.com/FrdFqAbRIy
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