One of the biggest suppliers of electric vehicle batteries, CATL, has entered a partnership with Daimler to supply its cell modules to its trucks and buses, it has been announced.
The agreement will see China-based company CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Limited) supply lithium-ion battery cell modules for Daimler’s wide portfolio of electric trucks and buses, which will be introduced to markets from 2021. The vehicles include the Mercedes-Benz eActros, the Freightliner eCascadia and the Freightliner eM2.
The development of the battery packs and battery pack assembly will be carried out by Daimler Trucks and Buses at its Mercedes-Benz Mannheim plant in Germany and its Detroit (Michigan) plant in the US.
“Already today, we have battery-electric trucks in customer operation around the world. Working with CATL as a strong global partner will go a long way in providing a wide range of electric trucks for series production from 2021 onwards,” said Gesa Reimelt, head of e-mobility group Daimler Trucks & Buses.
The heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz eActros with a range of around 200 km is in intensive customer trials as part of an “eActros innovation fleet” in Germany and Switzerland with the first customer hand over in 2018. In the United States, the all-electric medium Freightliner eM2 and the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia trucks are also in practical customer testing. Around 150 vehicles of the light-duty FUSO eCanter are already in customer operation in cities around the globe such as New York City, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Lisbon.
CATL, which has so far supplied over 21.3GWh of vehicle batteries worldwide is ideally setup to partner Daimler.
“Our global partnership with Daimler Trucks & Buses is an important step forward to realize our shared vision of a more sustainable society in the near future,” said Jia Zhou, President of CATL.
