CATL achieves lithium-ion battery cells mass production in German factory

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, a leading battery manufacturer, said on Wednesday that the company has achieved mass production of lithium-ion battery cells as scheduled in its factory in the German state of Thuringia.

Industry experts said that the move proved the battery giant's local production and supply capabilities in Europe and marked a milestone for its globalization steps.

"We are now making every effort to ramp up the factory's production capacity, which will also be our top priority for next year," said Matthias Zentgraf, CATL's president for Europe.

The Thuringia plant was allowed in April to manufacture battery cells with an annual production capacity of 8 gigawatt-hours, which according to the original plan, is expected to reach 14 gigawatt-hours.

The plant, which was also CATL's first overseas factory, has a total investment of 1.8 billion euros ($1.9 billion) and is expected to offer 2,000 jobs for local residents, the company said.