Leading Chinese battery manufacturer CATL (as the firm Contemporary Amperex Technology is commonly known) has become an investor in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer AutoFlight, also from China.
In addition to CATL investing hundreds of millions of US dollars in AutoFlight’s eVTOL development program (the exact amount has not been disclosed), the two companies will collaborate closely in expanding the performance and energy density of batteries for advanced air mobility applications.
This strategic tie-up could be rather consequential for the eVTOL industry, since both firms have achieved significant successes as pioneers in their respective fields.
CATL is a world leader in the production of batteries for electric vehicles, holding a 37% market share, the largest by far in this space. What’s more, it is also actively investing in pushing the technology frontier in this field with a view to powering the next generation of electric aircraft.
In 2023, CATL said it was working on a battery pack with a battery density of around 500 Wh/kg, which would place it at the top of the industry in terms of performance. The Chinese company is also said to be working on a project that would see a eight-ton aircraft flying on battery power for 2,000 to 3,000 km by 2028, representing an astounding breakthrough.
AutoFlight has achieved quite a few milestones of its own. Its Prosperity eVTOL set up a distance record in February 2023 when it flew 250.3 kilometers (155.5 miles) on a single battery charge during a flight test conducted in the United States.
It has also recently received Chinese certification to operate cargo flights with the freighter, unmanned version of its eVTOL aircraft.
AutoFlight has also achieved several ‘firsts’ in China, such as the first inter-city flight in the Pearl River Delta area and the first eVTOL crossing of the Yangtze River. It has also delivered the first of its eVTOLs to a Japanese customer, which, pending certification, expects to use it during the Osaka 2025 Expo.
The crewed passenger-carrying version of the Prosperity eVTOL is expected to get its certification in 2025.