Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) signed a cooperation agreement with Honda Motor in Tokyo to cooperate formally to develop electric vehicles for the future market.

Under the agreement, CATL will become Honda’s partner in the field of lithium-ion EV batteries. CATL will guarantee the supply to Honda of about 56 GWh of lithium-ion EV batteries before 2027. CATL currently uses NCM as a core material in its automotive cells; energy density is as high as 240 Wh/kg.

In 2016, Honda officially announced its strategy to accelerate electrification: its global sales of the electric vehicles including HEV, PHEV, and EV are to reach 65% of the group in 2030. Also, at the Beijing Motor Show in 2018, it officially announced that more than 20 electric vehicles would be launched in China by 2025.

The cooperation models, which will be developed by Honda and CATL together, will be introduced to global markets beyond China.

In order to provide more effective localization service support, CATL will set up a local office in the first half of this year in Utsunomiya, the location of the Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Automobile R&D Center in Tochigi.

Customer-centered is the philosophy that CATL has always insisted on. We hope that we can establish more efficient communication channels, more timely response mechanisms, and establish a closer relationship for further cooperation.

Honda and CATL have been worked closely on advanced and reliable battery solutions for Honda’s future electric vehicle applications. In the future, we will support Honda not only in China, Japan, but also to create world-leading electric vehicles that serves global consumers.

—Naosumi Tada, head of CATL’s Japanese subsidiary

In 2018, General Motors and Honda announced they were partnering on new advanced chemistry battery components, including the cell and module, to accelerate both companies’ plans for all-electric vehicles. The next-generation battery will deliver higher energy density, smaller packaging and faster charging capabilities for both companies’ future products, mainly for the North American market. (Earlier post.)

Under that agreement, the companies will collaborate based on GM’s next generation battery system with the intent for Honda to source the battery modules from GM.