Toyota's new EV battery partnership with CATL
Toyota’s EV battery cell partnership with CATL
Toyota, the company that made the hybrid mainstream with the creation of the Prius, announced a comprehensive EV battery partnership with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited today.
Do you remember the first generation of the Toyota Pruis? They’re hard to come by on the road today, but it marked a seminal moment for the automobile. Toyota was the first company to pull off a mass-market hybrid, and by the time the second generation of the Pruis arrived with its jelly bean-esque shape and much bemoaned driving dynamics it was a bonafide sales success.
Since the launch of the Pruis, Toyota has been working steadily to offer new, hybridized versions of its cars. These days, the Japanese auto giant makes seven hybrids and one fuel cell vehicle, but they do not sell a single battery electric vehicle – or, not yet at least.
Last month Toyota announced a massive push toward battery electric vehicles. In the early 2020s, Toyota is going to introduce up to 10 BEV models worldwide, six of which will be built on the new e-TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform.
The partnership with CATL was solidified today to help drive that plan. CATL will supply Toyota will lithium-ion battery cells and help bolster recycling efforts.
The press release
The press release said:
“Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that they have entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement for the stable supply and further development of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) batteries. The two companies have also commenced discussions that cover a wide range of fields, including: supply of batteries, new technology development, product quality improvements, and the reuse and recycling of batteries.”
CATL isn’t the only company that will sell batteries to the auto giant, though. According to InsideEVs, both BYD and Panasonic will sell Toyota batteries as well.
By Nicholas Yekikian
Borrow is an electric vehicle subscription company with one goal: to make driving an EV as simple and accessible as possible. Borrow is the only electric vehicle subscription service of its kind with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing the everyday drive.