CATL, the major Chinese EV battery manufacturer, has opened a dialogue with a dozen automotive producers regarding the next generation of sodium-based batteries, according to the magazine CnEVPost. A company spokesperson revealed in the interview that CATL has talked with about a dozen OEMs for an LRS (License Royalty Service) model of cooperation. Under the LRS partnership model, CATL provides technology licensing as well as plant construction and operation services to help global OEMs and even the company’s peers quickly master battery production capabilities, the spokesperson said.
Car companies will be gaining access to technology and learning to make batteries, while CATL gains access to new revenue models and more advanced forms of expanding its presence overseas, the company said. CATL’s technology can even be licensed to competitors, which helps benefit consumers globally. This model has similarities with the open patent policy applied by Toyota to promote expansion of the fuel-cell car market.
“CATL is committed to supporting the global transition to new energy sources with advanced technologies and products and is actively exploring multiple collaboration models with global partners,” the spokesperson told CnEVPost.
“As the world steps up its efforts to combat climate change, there is still huge market-growth potential. e.g. about 16.7 million passenger EVs are expected to be sold globally in 2024. High-quality and effective production capacity is still limited,” CATL said.
A large number of announced plants have not been implemented, and it is unclear if announced capacity will actually be achieved.
CATL is an industry leader with a large technology inventory and well-positioned for more competition with solid-state batteries, sodium batteries and more emerging battery technologies in its portfolio. The company is taking solid-state batteries very seriously and continues to conduct cutting-edge research and invest intensely in R&D, the CATL spokesperson told CnEVPost.
