BASF & CATL to codevelop cathode active materials

BASF and CATL have signed a framework agreement for the development and supply of cathode active materials for batteries. Under the agreement, BASF will cooperate with CATL worldwide.

Following the cooperation announcement, no further details have been disclosed apart from the joint plans to develop “advanced and innovative cathode active material.” BASF and CATL had previously announced a strategic partnership in the field of battery materials solutions in 2021. In the current announcement, BASF merely refers to CATL having selected BASF as an “important supplier” and that BASF will support “CATL’s global layout through its global production network.”

The 2021 agreement has a very similar premise, but concerns BASF’s globalization efforts more specifically, as the cooperation focused on active cathode materials and battery recycling while supporting CATL’s localization strategy in Europe and BASF’s globalisation efforts. At the time, CATL was building a battery factory in Arnstadt, Germany, marking the second facility in Europe for the Chinese battery giant.

“We are proud to work with CATL, a global market leader in battery technology. Our diversified and local production footprint for innovative cathode materials will support CATL’s global business development,” said Dr. Daniel Schönfelder, President of BASF’s Battery Materials division. “We are committed to the global battery industry and continue leveraging partnerships like the one between CATL and BASF Battery Materials.”

In Germany, BASF recently launched production of ‘black mass‘, by recycling spent lithium-ion batteries and production scrap. The company is also working on securing access to fresh resources together with Vulcan Energy, for which the companies received authorisation to begin seismic surveys for its geothermal development project in the Ludwigshafen region in Germany.

CATL has been expanding steadily in its home market, which grew by 47 per cent last year alone. A development cooperation was announced in India together with BHP just a few weeks ago, and construction of a battery factory in Indonesia began in June. The company also plans to introduce battery swapping technology to its European business.

basf.com