Recently, Dr. Robin Zeng, Chairman and CEO of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), spoke at the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, China. In his address, Dr. Zeng highlighted CATL’s commitment to facilitating a global transition to zero carbon through open collaboration and technology sharing, with a particular focus on supporting emerging economies.
Dr. Zeng outlined several partnership models, including co-building battery factories, establishing joint ventures, and licensing advanced technologies. He emphasized that these efforts are intended to create localized energy ecosystems and assist international partners in reaching carbon-neutral goals. He cited rapid EV market expansion in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia as key opportunities. CATL’s agreements include supplying batteries to Arun Plus in Thailand to bolster its ambition of becoming Southeast Asia’s EV hub and collaborating on a full industrial value chain—from mining to recycling—to develop Indonesia’s domestic EV infrastructure.
Beyond electric vehicles, CATL continues to expand its “Zero-Carbon Tech” portfolio of energy storage solutions. Its grid-forming systems support independent microgrids, which are critical for remote areas and industrial sites. A notable application is the 19 GWh battery energy storage installation powering Masdar’s AI-driven green data center in the United Arab Emirates.
CATL also detailed plans to deploy 1,000 Choco-Swap battery-exchange stations by 2025, with the first facility under construction in Hong Kong SAR and further expansion into Macau SAR. The company aims to scale to 10,000 stations in partnership with automakers. Last year, CATL processed 130,000 tons of spent batteries through its recycling operations, underscoring its commitment to circularity.
Dr. Zeng introduced the concept of industrial decarbonization, which applies new-energy technologies—such as low-emissions hydrometallurgy—to transform high-energy-consumption sectors. Coupled with “new energy industrialization,” this strategy supports sustainable economic growth and upgraded industrial capacity.
CATL’s global manufacturing footprint includes Europe’s largest battery facility in Hungary and a new plant in Spain developed with Stellantis. With over 43,000 patents and annual battery R&D investment of nearly ¥20 billion, the company ranked second among Chinese firms in overseas patent filings last year. Following its recent listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, CATL plans to have its manufacturing sites carbon-neutral this year and achieve full supply-chain carbon neutrality by 2035.
Source: PR Newswire
