CATL has successfully test flown a 4-ton civil electric aircraft and expects to release an 8-ton electric aircraft in 2027-2028.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL, SHE: 300750) has made progress in its electric manned aircraft partnership project, which is expected to support a range of about 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers by 2027-2028, the battery maker's chairman Robin Zeng said.
Zeng made the remarks at the 15th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, which kicked off Tuesday in Dalian, in China's northeastern Liaoning province, the first time the company has revealed information about the range of its electric aircraft, according to a report in China Daily.
The company has successfully test-flown a 4-ton civil electric aircraft and expects to release an 8-ton civil electric aircraft in 2027 to 2028, Zeng said.
The 8-ton aircraft can support a range of about 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers, Zeng said.
CATL's electric aircraft project uses Condensed Battery, which has an energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg in a single cell, twice the energy density of current mainstream EV batteries, the China Daily report noted.
The Chinese battery maker unveiled the Condensed Battery in April 2023, saying at the time that the battery was expected to be used in the electric airplane sector.
CATL was conducting collaborative development of civil electric manned projects and implementing aviation-grade standards in the process to meet aviation-grade safety and quality requirements, its chief scientist, Wu Kai, said on April 19, 2023 at the Shanghai auto show.
The Condensed Battery will also be able to be used in electric vehicles and would be ready for mass production within 2023, Wu said at the time.
CATL's efforts to build electric airplanes are being conducted with China's state-owned aircraft maker Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, and the two formed a joint venture in July 2023.
The company's exploration of electric aircraft started with smaller planes, ranging from 1-ton to 8.8-ton, Zeng said at the BEYOND International Science and Technology Innovation Expo on May 22 in Macau.
CATL was already test-flying 4-ton aircraft, but reaching a commercial level will require success with aircraft in the 8-ton class and above, Zeng said at the time.
The company still needed to continue working on the product, which was expected to be launched in 2027 and 2028, according to Zeng.
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