CATL considers bringing battery production to the USA

Chinese traction battery vendor CATL is thinking about localizing its business in the States – but only if the newly elected President Donald Trump greenlights it.

According to Robin Zeng Yuqun, CEO and founder of the company, it had tried to negotiate with the U.S. authorities on this matter on multiple occasions before, but its battery plant project invariably ended up rejected. With Trump back at the rudder, the situation may well change. During his first presidency term, Trump said he didn’t mind welcoming foreign businesses in the States as long as they built new factories and created new jobs – even if they came from China.

Right now, CATL only has an indirect representation on the North American market. Ford is licensing its technology to produce battery packs for its own electric vehicles.