CATL Executives Highlight Need for Growth in Energy Storage Industry
Chinese battery leader Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (300750.SZ) is shifting its focus from electric vehicles to energy storage, aiming for the sector to account for half of its global sales by 2030. In an exclusive interview with Power Technology, CATL's managing director of Western Europe, Hank Zhao, and chief technology officer Bruce Li discussed how lessons learned in EVs are being applied to grid-scale battery projects like Australia’s Collie Battery and Nevada’s Gemini Solar-Plus-Storage project. Zhao noted that while the automotive industry has well-established global standards for quality and safety, energy storage lacks such uniformity. This gap is leading to risks including fires and performance issues in deployed systems. He warned of potential bankruptcies among less rigorous players if cross-border standards are not developed soon. The interview highlights CATL's conservative approach to ensuring product reliability despite a more fragmented market landscape. The conversation also touched on the challenges of adapting Chinese technology for European markets, as well as executive decision-making in an industry undergoing rapid transformation.
Topics: CATL strategy energy storage EV to energy transition grid-scale batteries