Daimler has announced that it was expanding an alliance with Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) to deliver battery packs proficient of giving Mercedes-Benz cars 700 kilometers of range at higher recharging speeds.
Daimler already has battery cell supply agreements with Korea's SK Innovation, LG Chem, and Farasis in addition to China's CATL, as its strategies to ramp up production of electric and hybrid vehicles.
The agreement with CATL said the partnership will comprise supplying cells and entire battery systems as well as combining research.
"We intend to lead in battery technologies, so we are now combining our own research and development expertise with bold partners," Daimler said in a declaration.
"The agreement covers the full range of battery technologies, from cells across modules for Mercedes-Benz Cars to entire battery systems for Mercedes-Benz Vans in promising innovative technology configurations. This also includes the CATL cell-to-pack (CTP) design, which eliminates conventional modules and integrates the cells directly into the battery."
The partnership aims to abridge development cycles, considerably increase the ranges of future batteries through advances in energy density and reduce charging times, Daimler believed.
CATL will use electricity from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and hydropower for its battery cell production, the joint release said.
