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CATL targets battery JVs with Europe in 2025: Davos

  • Market: Battery materials
  • 22/01/25

The world's largest battery maker, CATL, is looking to sign more joint ventures (JVs) with European carmakers this year, co-chair Pan Jian said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week.

"It's not healthy to concentrate too much production capacity in one space," Jian said, suggesting CATL is looking to diversify its production plants worldwide in case of supply chain bottlenecks.

CATL last month announced a JV for a 50GWh plant in Zaragoza, northeastern Spain, with Franco-Italian-American car conglomerate Stellantis, owner of 14 brands including Fiat, Jeep, Chrysler and Alfa Romeo.

The firm operates at 13 plants worldwide, including 11 in China and two in Germany and Hungary. And the firm has construction plans in Indonesia, Thailand, as well as with Ford in the US state of Michigan and with Tesla in Nevada.

CATL also supplies top models such as Tesla models 3 and Y, BMW iX, Mercedes EQ series and Volkswagen iD series in China.

Software development key to EV success

While electric vehicle (EV) sales in China surged by nearly 40pc last year, sales figures were more mixed in Europe and the US, with growth in the UK and the US, but sales falling in Germany and France.

"The bottleneck really lies in the software development capability [of legacy carmakers]," Jian said, adding the example of US carmaker Ford, which has an "internal, traditional culture [that] they need to break through", despite its "visionary" chief executive, Jim Farley.

German carmaker Volkswagen is hoping to make itself an exception, after having announced a 49:51 JV with Chinese tech firm Thundersoft in 2023 to develop connectivity and infotainment, to build "innovative and smart cockpits", among other features.

The firm also bought a 5pc stake in Chinese EV maker Xpeng in 2023 and announced a charging partnership earlier this month. Volkswagen's battery EV (BEV) sales in China last year rose by 8.1pc to 207,400 units.

Elsewhere, western carmakers have struggled to integrate tech into EVs. US carmaker General Motors incurred a $600mn loss last year after ending production of its Cruise Origin autonomous vehicle.

US tech giant Amazon also invested heavily in Rivian in 2019, which has struggled to scale up sales and fallen behind as the fifth-largest EV maker in the US past year, far behind Tesla.

Autonomous driving start-up Waymo, owned by Alphabet, last May was reportedly being investigated by US safety regulators following a series of crashes involving its autonomous robotaxis.

And US tech giant Apple cancelled plans last February to launch a self-driving EV after spending $10bn on the project, codenamed ‘Titan'. British firm Dyson, known for making hoovers and hair dryers, cancelled its own EV plans in 2019.


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14/07/25

BHP, CATL, BYD ink battery deals for mining: Update

BHP, CATL, BYD ink battery deals for mining: Update

Beijing, 14 July (Argus) — Australian diversified mining group BHP has signed non-binding deals with China's largest battery manufacturer CATL and largest electric vehicle producer BYD to develop battery solutions for heavy equipment and railway locomotives used in mining activity. BHP and CATL aim to collaborate in areas such as the electrification of mining equipment, construction of fast-charging infrastructure, and energy storage and battery recycling. They plan to accelerate the electrification of BHP's mining operations and to create a replicable "green transformation model" for the global mining industry, CATL said on 14 July. Global demand for critical minerals such as lithium and nickel has increased with the rise in renewable energy technologies. This in turn has spurred the expansion of the mining industry, which is energy-intensive and emissions-intensive, said CATL. BHP aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 2050. BHP and FinDreams Battery, a subsidiary of BYD, signed a similar deal on 14 July to research and explore battery system solutions suitable for heavy mining equipment and locomotives, as well as the corresponding fast-charging infrastructure. BHP will use explore the viability of using BYD's commercial and light vehicles in BHP's mines. CATL's total battery capacity is projected to reach 700-1,000 GWh/yr in 2025, which would make it the world's first TWh-level battery manufacturer, according to market participants. The firm has been accelerating expansions outside China in recent years, with projects in Germany, Hungary, Spain, and Indonesia. CATL has been trying to expand its presence in the conventional energy and mining sectors. It is building a 40 GWh/yr factory in Dongying, which is the largest oil refining city in China, with the aim of helping Dongying evolve into a zero-carbon city. China's sales of new energy trucks have increased in 2025, mainly on the back of government subsidies, overtaking LNG trucks in displacing diesel vehicles. The country's sales of new energy trucks in January-June reached about 72,000 units, more than 2½ times year-earlier levels. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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CATL, BHP team up to spur mining electrification


14/07/25
News
14/07/25

CATL, BHP team up to spur mining electrification

Beijing, 14 July (Argus) — China's largest battery manufacturer CATL has signed a non-binding deal with Australian diversified mining group BHP to develop battery solutions for heavy equipment and railway locomotives used in mining activity. The two firms aim to collaborate in areas such as the electrification of mining equipment, construction of fast-charging infrastructure, and energy storage and battery recycling. They plan to accelerate the electrification of BHP's mining operations and to create a replicable "green transformation model" for the global mining industry, CATL said on 14 July. Global demand for critical minerals such as lithium and nickel has been increasing with the rise in renewable energy technologies. This in turn has spurred the expansion of the mining industry, which is energy-intensive and emissions-intensive, said CATL. BHP aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 2050. CATL's total battery capacity is projected to reach 700-1,000 GWh/yr in 2025, which would make it the world's first TWh-level battery manufacturer, according to market participants. The firm has been accelerating expansions outside China in recent years, with projects in Germany, Hungary, Spain, and Indonesia. CATL has been trying to expand its presence in the conventional energy and mining sectors. It is building a 40 GWh/yr factory in Dongying, which is the largest oil refining city in China, with the aim of helping Dongying evolve into a zero-carbon city. China's sales of new energy trucks have increased in 2025 , mainly on the back of government subsidies, overtaking LNG trucks in displacing diesel vehicles. The country's sales of new energy trucks in January-June reached about 72,000 units, more than 2½ times year-earlier levels. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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EnergyX to buy Smackover Li deposits


10/07/25
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10/07/25

EnergyX to buy Smackover Li deposits

Houston, 10 July (Argus) — US lithium extraction company Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX) agreed to acquire Daytona Lithium, securing ownership of 35,000 gross acres of lithium brine resources in the Smackover Formation of Arkansas. EnergyX said today the deal is valued at A$40mn ($26mn), comprising A$6mn in cash and A$34mn in common stock. The acquisition expands EnergyX's Smackover footprint, building on its existing 12,500 acres to nearly 50,000 acres in total. It also extends EnergyX's Project Lonestar in northeast Texas, aimed at producing 50,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr of lithium hydroxide by 2030, with an initial phase of 12,500t/yr by 2028. EnergyX plans to vertically integrate its direct lithium extraction technology to produce low cost lithium. The acreage sits adjacent to Exxon, Chevron, and Standard Lithium in the Smackover. "The race is on" to see who will be the first to produce commercial battery grade lithium products, said EnergyX chief executive Teague Egan. Daytona Lithium is a wholly owned subsidiary of Australia-based Pantera Lithium. By Carol Luk Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Japan’s Sumitomo to invest $10bn in UK clean energy


10/07/25
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10/07/25

Japan’s Sumitomo to invest $10bn in UK clean energy

Tokyo, 10 July (Argus) — Japanese trading firm Sumitomo has agreed to invest a total of £7.5bn ($10.2bn) by 2035 in key clean energy projects in the UK. The agreement was made with the UK's Department for Business and Trade's Office for Investment on 9 July. The £7.5bn total includes investments Sumitomo made before this deal. The investments will be focused on key offshore wind and hydrogen projects. Sumitomo is also actively exploring the commercialisation of next-generation technologies such as fusion energy and energy management with storage solutions, the firm said. Sumitomo did not disclose more details on what projects it will invest in, when requested for comment. Sumitomo is currently involved in a low-carbon hydrogen production project at the Bacton gas terminal in north Norfolk, CO2 storage in the North Sea and the Peak Cluster CO2 shipping project. The trading house has also invested in offshore wind power businesses. Sumitomo chose to partner with the UK because of the government's support for clean energy businesses, said the firm, and it intends to enhance its collaboration with the UK to develop its clean energy portfolio. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Brazil BEV sales remain above average in June


09/07/25
News
09/07/25

Brazil BEV sales remain above average in June

Sao Paulo, 9 July (Argus) — Brazil sales of fully electric vehicles (BEV) fell in June from May's record high but remained above the year's average, data from the Brazilian EV association ABVE shows. BEV sales dropped to 5,912 units in June, a 15pc decrease from 6,969 fully electric vehicles sold in May. Still, June sales were well above the monthly average of 4,932 units sold in January-May. Sales in June rose by roughly 14pc compared to the same period in 2024. The sequential decrease in sales is mostly because BEV prices returned to normal levels following steep discounts offered by Chinese automaker BYD in May, which drove demand up. BYD, which accounts for over 80pc of the Brazilian BEV market, offered discounts between R20,000 ($3,660) and R36,000 ($6,600) to push out its imported fully electric vehicles before the company opened its factory in Brazil early in July. BYD believes its marketing campaigns, media presence and fast-growing dealership network are helping to bump BEV sales numbers. In Brazil, the Chinese carmaker offers only fully electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. Overall EV demand in June — encompassing BEVs, PHEVs and non-plug-in hybrid vehicles — dropped to 21,333 units, down by 4.2pc from 22,279 in May. By Pedro Consoli Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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