BERLIN, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The German automotive supplier Bosch announced a "long-term strategic cooperation" with the Chinese automotive lithium-ion battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) on Thursday.
"With CATL, we have brought an established cell specialist for lithium-ion batteries on board as a partner", said Stefan Hartung, member of the board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector of Bosch.
The Chinese manufacturer CATL is to design, develop, and produce cells that will be used in the German supplier's 48-volt battery system, according to Bosch.
CATL is one of the world's largest producers of batteries and is currently building a battery factory in the German city of Erfurt. Since the end of 2018, Bosch has been manufacturing the first generation of the 48-volt battery in a battery factory in China.
"We have to understand battery cells, but we do not have to make them ourselves," Hartung said, adding that "in combination with our systems know-how and expertise in battery management, we will extend our strong position in the 48-volt battery market".
According to Bosch, the cooperation was a further step on the road to market leadership in electro mobility as many global car manufacturers would already rely on the 48-volt battery from Bosch.
"The 48-volt hybridization is sure to be the minimum standard in tomorrow's automotive market," Hartung said.
Bosch is planning to more than tenfold its sales revenues in electric mobility to 5 billion euros (5.5 billion U.S. dollars) by 2025. According to the German automotive supplier, more than one million electric cars with electric drive components by Bosch were already on the road worldwide.
