On the evening of August 5, Mercedes-Benz and CATL jointly announced that their strategic partnership has reached a new level. The two companies will co-develop high-tech battery technology to support Mercedes-Benz’s large-scale electrification.
According to the public statement, the agreement covers power battery technology in various fields, including providing battery cells and modules for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, and providing complete battery systems for Mercedes-Benz light commercial vehicles.
CATL will also provide module-free battery pack designs for some projects, eliminating traditional battery modules by directly integrating battery cells into the battery pack.
In fact, the two sides have already started developing new generation batteries, and the research and development results will be applied to Mercedes-Benz’s new models to be launched in the next few years. Mercedes-Benz’s electric sedan EQS to be delivered next year will also be equipped with CATL batteries. Mercedes-Benz said that its range will exceed 700 kilometers, but the charging speed will be twice as fast as that of existing models.
In order to minimize carbon emissions, CATL will use renewable energy such as wind, solar and hydropower in production.
Earlier this year, the two sides jointly launched a pilot project using blockchain technology, which will make the climate-damaging gases and recycled materials produced in the battery supply chain more transparent. In the future, the two parties will further reduce the excessive dependence on raw material mining by recycling batteries.
The strategic cooperation between the two sides will also further accelerate the industrialization of high-tech battery technology in Germany. CATL’s orderly progress at its Thuringia factory in Germany can provide more competitive products and more stable battery supplies for Mercedes-Benz.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.