Daimler Truck AG and CATL expand global partnership: joint development of sophisticated truck-focused batteries and supply agreed beyond 2030
• CATL to supply batteries for Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul truck starting 2024
• The partners intend to jointly design and develop even more advanced next-generation battery cells and packs for truck specific applications
• Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Truck AG: “Expanding and strengthening our strong collaboration with CATL will play a key role as we accelerate our electrification activities and lead the way to zero emissions in the truck industry.”
• Dr. Robin Zeng, Founder, Chairman and CEO of CATL: “We believe our strong global partnership will further enhance Daimler Truck AG’s market position on the e-mobility stage and accelerate to drive towards carbon neutrality.”
Ningde, China / Stuttgart, Germany – Today, commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck AG and lithium-ion battery manufacturer and developer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) – both global leaders in their fields – announced the intensification of their existing partnership based on their shared vision of CO2-neutral electrified trucking. CATL will be the supplier of lithium-ion battery packs for the Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul battery-electric truck, which is planned to be ready for series production in 2024. The supply will go beyond 2030. The batteries will combine high energy density with ultra-long cycle life as well as fast-charging ability to meet the unique requirements of battery-electric long-haul trucks. In addition, the companies intend to jointly design and develop even more advanced next-generation battery cells and packs for truck specific applications, with a focus on high modularity and scalability in order to support different truck applications and flexible compatibility with future e-truck models.
In 2019, Daimler Truck AG and CATL entered into a global lithium-ion battery cell modules supply agreement for electric series trucks including the Mercedes-Benz eActros, the Freightliner eCascadia and eM2.
Mercedes-Benz eActros
Freightliner eCascadia
Freightliner eM2
In September 2020, Daimler Truck AG announced the eActros LongHaul, which will have a range of about 500 kilometres for energy-efficient transport on plannable long-haul routes.
eActros LongHaul
Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG: “Partnerships are vital for us to deliver on our commitment to the Paris Agreement and our ultimate goal of achieving CO2-neutral transport on the roads, on which we are working at full speed. Expanding and strengthening our strong collaboration with CATL will play a key role as we accelerate our electrification activities and lead the way to zero emissions in the truck industry. We will launch a wide range of customer-oriented, innovative series-produced electric trucks from 2021 onwards.”
Dr. Robin Zeng, Founder, Chairman and CEO of CATL: “We are very happy to strengthen the existing partnership with Daimler Truck AG based on our shared vision in e-mobility. With CATL’s innovative technology in EV batteries and Daimler Truck’s deep expertise in the heavy truck industry, we believe our strong global partnership will further enhance Daimler Truck AG’s market position on the e-mobility stage and accelerate to drive towards carbon neutrality.”
CATL: promoting carbon neutrality through innovative battery solutions
Driven by the goal of CO2 neutrality, CATL aims to realize fossil fuel replacement in stationary and mobile energy systems with highly efficient electrical power systems that are generated through advanced batteries and renewable energy, and promote the integrated innovation of market applications with electrification and intelligentization. Expanding its partnership with Daimler Truck AG is an important milestone in this journey and unlocks new opportunities to accelerate global commercial vehicle electrification with CATL clean energy solutions.
Making continuous innovations across the chemistry structure system, structure system, extreme manufacturing and business model, CATL is providing the most cutting-edge and valuable products to its customers and consumers. Its unique battery solutions for commercial vehicles featuring an LFP chemistry system with zero fading within 1500 cycles and innovative cell-to-pack (CTP) technology ensure that vehicle batteries have high-energy density, ultra-long cycle lives, high reliability and great cost efficiency.
According to SNE Research, CATL’s 2020 EV battery consumption volume ranks No.1 in the world for the fourth consecutive year, 32% of which is contributed by commercial vehicle applications. The data source also shows that until March 2021, global sales of trucks and buses equipped with CATL EV batteries reached over 343,000, making CATL the largest EV battery supplier in the commercial vehicle market.
About Daimler Truck AG
The Daimler Truck AG is one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, with more than 35 primary locations around the world and approximately 100,000 employees. Daimler Truck AG is pursuing a sustainable corporate strategy and aims to offer only new vehicles that are CO2-neutral in driving operation (“tank-to-wheel”) in Europe, Japan, and North America by 2039. As early as 2022, Daimler Truck AG’s vehicle portfolio will include series-produced vehicles with battery-electric drive systems in the main sales regions Europe, the United States, and Japan. By 2027, Daimler Truck AG intends to supplement its portfolio by adding series-produced hydrogen-based fuel-cell vehicles. With hundreds of vehicles in use with customers, Daimler Truck AG has already gained comprehensive, practice-oriented expertise with electric vehicles, and has recorded a total of well over ten million kilometres driven by battery-electric test and series-produced trucks and buses with customers worldwide.
