Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), China’s largest battery maker for electric vehicles that supplies batteries for Tesla has launched an aviation division to commence mass production of electric planes. Going ahead, CATL has launched a joint venture with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Shanghai Jiaotong University named COMAC CATL Aviation Co., Ltd. to develop fixed-wing electric aircraft.
According to the business registration information, COMAC CATL Aviation Co., Ltd. has a registered capital of 600 million yuan ($83 million) in the Lingang Area of Shanghai.
The establishment of the new joint venture company is aimed at a pre-research project for an electric aircraft to develop a fixed-wing electric aircraft. However, this project is still in the initial pre-research stage at the COMAC Beijing Research Center and is a long way from production.
CATL claims to have achieved the energy density required for commercial electric aircraft of 500 Watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg). “With an energy density of up to 500Wh/kg, it can achieve a high energy density and a high level of safety at the same time in a creative manner, opening up a brand-new electrification scenario of passenger aircrafts,” CATL said in a statement.
“CATL can achieve mass production of condensed battery for electric vehicles in a short period of time,” the statement added.