CATL announces joint venture for robotaxis

Chinese battery giant CATL is venturing beyond the powertrain by co-founding a joint venture targeting Level 4 autonomous driving. It is leveraging synergies with mobility service provider Hello and fintech heavyweight Ant Group.

The new joint venture is called Shanghai Zaofu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., and was registered on 23 June in Shanghai with a capitalisation of 1.3 billion yuan (approx. 160 million euros). It aims to establish a fully integrated Level 4 (L4) self-driving platform, combining software, intelligent hardware, and data-driven service layers.

Level 4 is also referred to as ‘fully automated driving’ on the scale of automated driving ranging from one to five. That means the vehicle can handle journeys on certain routes completely independently and can also drive without passengers. At Level 4, the system recognises its limits in good time so that it can reach a ‘safe state’ in accordance with the rules, for example by heading for a parking space. The only difference to fully autonomous driving is that the vehicles are restricted to certain routes. At Level 5, vehicles must be able to cope with all traffic situations regardless of location. As the e-mobility sector increasingly converges with AI and autonomy, CATL’s strategic pivot marks a deeper commitment to full-stack electric mobility ecosystems beyond the battery cell.

The new entity is a collaboration between CATL, Ant Group, and mobility platform Hello. This follows a strategic cooperation agreement signed by the three parties in April 2025 in Hangzhou, aligning their technological capabilities for long-term integration in autonomous transport.

While CATL brings its expertise in intelligent battery systems and skateboard chassis, Hello contributes a growing portfolio in two- and four-wheel mobility services, including shared bikes, ride-hailing, and battery swapping. Hello has already assembled a robust technical team in autonomous systems, focusing on AI and large-scale model integration.

Ant Group, renowned for its fintech and AI innovation, is contributing foundational technologies in areas such as reinforcement learning, embodied intelligence, and security architecture. These are seen as critical enablers for scaling safe and reliable robotaxi services.

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