CATL to supply battery cell modules for Daimler’s electric trucks

Daimler Trucks & Buses and battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) have entered a global battery cell modules supply agreement for electric series trucks.

CATL will supply lithium-ion battery cell modules for a wide range of Daimler Trucks & Buses' global electric truck portfolio to be introduced in markets from 2021 onwards, including the Mercedes-Benz eActros, the Freightliner eCascadia and the Freightliner eM2. The development of the battery systems lies with Daimler Trucks & Buses. Battery pack assembly will be carried out by Daimler Trucks & Buses as well — at its Mercedes-Benz Mannheim plant in Germany and its Detroit (Michigan) plant in the US.

Frank Reintjes, Head of Global Powertrain, E-Mobility and Manufacturing Engineering Daimler Trucks, said: “At Daimler Trucks & Buses, we are constantly leveraging our strong technological position and global presence through intelligent platforms and shared modules. We are extending this formula of success to our electric trucks as well, fulfilling our customers' needs with speed to market and best-available technology. Our E-Mobility Group and the new partnership with CATL are key elements of this approach.”

Gesa Reimelt, Head of E-Mobility Group Daimler Trucks & Buses, said: “As the world's leading truck manufacturer, we strive to be first to market with series production zero-emission transportation solutions on a global scale. Already today, we have battery-electric trucks in customer operation around the world. Working with CATL as a strong global partner will go a long way in providing a wide range of electric trucks for series production from 2021 onwards.”

Jia Zhou, President of CATL, said: “CATL is committed to drive new energy innovations throughout the world. Providing highly efficient and reliable solutions to electrify commercial vehicles is an essential element for the overall development of the e-mobility market. Our global partnership with Daimler Trucks & Buses is an important step forward to realize our shared vision of a more sustainable society in the near future.”

The heavy-duty Mercedes-Benz eActros with a range of around 200 km is in intensive customer trials as part of an “eActros innovation fleet” in Germany and Switzerland with the first customer hand over in 2018. In the United States, the all-electric medium Freightliner eM2 and the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia trucks are also in practical customer testing. Around 150 vehicles of the light-duty FUSO eCanter are already in customer operation in cities around the globe such as New York City, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Lisbon.

Since 2018, the E-Mobility Group bundles Daimler Trucks & Buses' global know-how in the field of e-mobility and defines the strategy for electric components and products across brands and segments. As is the case with the global platform strategy for conventional vehicles, the E-Mobility Group develops an integrated electric architecture, maximising the use of synergies and optimizing the application of investments.

At the same time, the E-Mobility Group offers comprehensive consulting for customers and focuses on the entire ecosystem with the goal to make e-mobility economically feasible also in terms of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). The E-Mobility Group is set up globally with employees working in various locations throughout the company's worldwide development network, i.e. in Portland (U.S.), Stuttgart (Germany) and Kawasaki (Japan).