CALB Ventures into the Top 3 Globally!

Reprinted from Lidianpai

On November 20, 2023, CALB Global Partners Conference was held in Changzhou. During the conference, Liu Jingyu, the Chairman of CALB, stated that one of the company’s goals is to firmly establish itself among the top three globally.

When CALB officially listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on October 6, 2022, Liu Jingyu expressed his hope that the company would enter the global top three.

This emphasis on reaching the global top three was reiterated. According to SNE Research, a well-known global market research firm,CALB ranked 7th in terms of electric vehicle battery shipments in September 2022. However, in the latest global electric vehicle battery shipment rankings released by the same organization in September 2023, CALB has already entered the global top four.

Let’s examine the logic behind CALB’s potential to enter the global top three.

Power battery supporting a wide range of vehicle models sells well.

Having a wide range of customers and supporting various vehicle models does not necessarily guarantee a high ranking in the shipment volume charts for power battery companies. Conversely, having fewer supported vehicle models does not imply weakness. For example, some of the former top three domestic companies have been surpassed by CALB and left far behind. Another example is BYD, which relies primarily on self-sufficiency and has risen to the global top two due to the strong sales of its new energy vehicles.

The key to securing a top position in the shipment volume rankings for power battery companies lies in having vehicle models that are in high demand in the market and achieving a “win-win” situation with customers.

 Of course, if a company supports a wide range of vehicle models and many of them sell well in the market, it will naturally experience rapid development.

Currently, CALB has become a prime example of supporting a wide range of vehicle models that sell well. This has been the key to its rapid development in the past and its future ambition to enter the global top three.

It is well known that CALB has collaborated with GAC Group. CALB has taken the lead in developing the world’s first high-energy-density battery system with non-flammable technology, ensuring that its ternary whole-cell battery is not prone to catching fire when punctured.

The achievements of GAC Group are also widely recognized. In recent months, GAC Aion’s sales of new energy vehicles have consistently reached 50,000 units per month. Xpeng Motors, which relies on CALB as its main supplier, has achieved remarkable results in both domestic sales and exports.

As for the power battery industry itself, in November 2021, CALB surpassed 1 GWh of monthly production, becoming another company to enter the “GWh Club” of power battery installations for new energy passenger vehicles, following in the footsteps of CATL and BYD. In July 2023,CALB’s monthly power battery shipments exceeded 3 GWh.

According to the latest data from the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance in October 2023, CALB has achieved a domestic power battery installation volume of 3.79 GWh, just a step away from surpassing 4 GWh.

Strong product competitiveness is the foundation

Looking at the development history of CALB in recent years, we can glimpse the technological strength of its products:

In 2018, CALB introduced high-voltage, high-safety ternary lithium batteries, leading the way in the development of ternary lithium battery technology.

In 2019, CALB pioneered the all-polar tab stacking technology, leading the development of new battery structures.

In 2020, they pioneered the non-flammable technology for high-energy-density (ternary) battery systems, redefining the safety standards for lithium batteries.

In 2021, they globally introduced the OS battery technology, leading the innovation of battery technology in the era of TWh (terawatt-hour).

In 2022, they showcased leading-edge high-manganese iron phosphate batteries and 4C fast-charging batteries.

In 2023, they redefined cylindrical batteries with the introduction of 6C ultra-fast-charging large cylindrical cells.

In order to enter the global top three, CALB has plans to introduce various new products in the future.

During a media interview on November 20th, Mr. Xie Qiu, Senior Vice President of CALB, stated that their semi-solid-state batteries will be installed in a foreign luxury brand vehicle in the fourth quarter of next year. These batteries will enable a range of 500 km with just 10 minutes of charging and a maximum range of 1000 km. In addition, their 46 series cylindrical cells with a 6C charging rate will be mass-produced in the fourth quarter of next year. They also mentioned the production and installation of 5C batteries that can regain 80% charge in just 10 minutes for a high-end brand vehicle.

Furthermore, during the World New Energy Vehicle Congress (WNEVC) held on September 6th, Chairman Liu Jingyu of CALB described future-oriented new products. These include batteries utilizing the impoverished liquidization technology with an energy density of 350 Wh/kg, capable of withstanding puncture tests without catching fire. They are also developing batteries with a semi-solid-state technology that can achieve an energy density of 450 Wh/kg. Additionally, their full solid-state battery technology, which incorporates composite metal anodes, can achieve an energy density of 600 Wh/kg, exhibiting higher safety performance and significantly improving cycle life.

We Speculate that as the largest battery supplier for Xpeng Motors, which has deep cooperation with Volkswagen, the “foreign brand” mentioned by CALB could potentially be Volkswagen, the global leader in automotive sales.

Summary

In September, CALB’s global power battery installation volume reached 3.6 GWh, an 86% year-on-year increase. In comparison, LG Energy Solution, currently ranked third globally, achieved 9 GWh with a mere 6% year-on-year growth.

CALB is steadily closing the gap with LG Energy Solution. The author dares to predict that by 2025, CALB may replace LG Energy Solution and truly become one of the top three global power battery companies in terms of installation volume.