CTP, CATL's next-generation technology, was used in the 75-kWh battery pack announced by Nio in late September.
After having previously built two automated battery pack production lines, a joint venture between Chinese automotive giant SAIC Motor and power battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL) has seen a new line based on the latter's latest CTP (Cell to Pack) technology come into operation.
The joint venture, United Auto Battery, announced today that its first CTP line opened on November 29 and saw the first mass-produced battery pack for the E2 project rolled off the line.
The move marks the start of SAIC's next-generation platform-based battery solution, with United Auto Battery having CTP assembly and manufacturing capabilities from cell to packs, the company said.
United Auto Battery was established in June 2017 in Liyang, Jiangsu Province, with CATL (SHE: 300750) holding 51 percent of the shares.
The company's first phase is planned to cover an area of about 133 mu (88,667 square meters) with a total construction area of 40,000 square meters, and will have the capacity to support power battery systems for 450,000 new energy vehicles.
United Auto Battery has previously built two automated production lines with a capacity of 100,000 sets each, providing SAIC with more than 120,000 sets of power battery systems.
The company expects to provide 200,000 sets to SAIC in 2022 and increase its annual capacity to 600,000 sets in 2025.
CTP, CATL's next-generation technology that integrates cells into packs without modules, was used in Nio's 75-kWh pack announced in late September.
Nio said at the time that the technology simplifies manufacturing and assembly by 10 percent, increases capacity utilization by 5 percent, and increases energy density by 14 percent.
In late October, CATL signed an agreement with Hyundai Mobis, the parts division of Hyundai Motor, to license its CTP technology.
CATL will support Hyundai Mobis in the supply of CTP-related battery products in Korea and globally, it said in a statement.
