BEIJING, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — CATL founder and chairman Zeng Yuqun detailed on Wednesday how his electric vehicle battery powerhouse could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions for Macau and potentially revolutionize many sectors, from public transportation to urban electricity, in the special Chinese administrative region.
Zeng Yuqun, founder, chairman and CEO of CATL, is on talk at BEYOND Expo.
On Wednesday, the BEYOND Expo 2022 opens online at a 3D metaverse space. As Asia’s largest and most influential tech event, the Expo will have more than 40 talks and panel discussions where leaders and experts across sectors dive deep into the topics of consumer tech, health tech, global investments, sustainability, and Web3.
Please find below the transcript of the opening day speech from Zeng Yuqun, founder chairman of CATL. The following transcript has been edited for clarity:
It is my great honor to participate in the opening ceremony of the BEYOND EXPO 2022 and share my thoughts on the future with you.
CATL is a new energy innovative technologies company. We are committed to taking electrochemical energy storage as well as renewable energy power generation as the core to replace stationary fossil energy, thus reducing dependence on thermal power generation in energy production; taking EV batteries as the core to replace mobile fossil energy such as petroleum; taking electrification and intellectualization as the core to promote the integrated innovation of market applications, providing sustainable, affordable and reliable new energy solutions for all walks of life.
The three topics of this year’s BEYOND: healthcare, sustainability, and consumer tech, are actually closely related to CATL and the new energy industry we are engaged in.
Life sciences are the eternal theme of human beings. Environmental degradation is putting unprecedented pressure on all human beings and our earth. Disasters caused by global warming have threatened the survival and health of human beings. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every citizen of the earth to spare no effort to reduce carbon emissions.
Last year, we supplied 40% of the world’s energy storage batteries, helping to greatly improve renewable energy consumption efficiency. In the first half of this year, our EV batteries accounted for 34.8% of the global market, providing electrification solutions for 57 countries and regions worldwide. Behind this data is a huge amount of carbon emissions reduction.
On average, the entire life cycle of a pure electric vehicle contributes about 14.1 tons of carbon emissions reduction. I believe that our batteries can facilitate the electrification of more sectors and make a greater contribution to global carbon neutrality.
High quality is the key to sustainable development. The new energy industry must work hard in two directions. One is that the products must be perfect so consumers can use them confidently; the other is that the batteries must be low carbon for consumers to protect the environment.
CATL has been making efforts in these two directions for a long time. Our extreme manufacturing has improved the defect rate of battery products from PPM to PPB level, reducing it from one in a million to one in a billion. Our Ningde production base has also become the only lighthouse factory in the battery industry recognized by the World Economic Forum. Our Yibin production base achieved carbon neutrality in 2021, becoming the world’s first zero-carbon battery factory.
We are also committed to sharing our high-quality, sustainable development experience with upstream and downstream partners to help reduce carbon emissions in the entire industry chain.
The third topic is consumer tech. As electric cars continue to penetrate the market, batteries as the core power source are becoming a typical consumer technology. Over the years, CATL has been committed to leveraging innovative technologies to solve consumers’ pain points regarding range, safety, low-temperature performance, and charging speed. With the continuous improvement of battery performance, more and more consumers have joined new trends championed by battery technologies.
For example, supported by our pioneering CTP (cell to pack) technology, Qilin battery has achieved the highest integration level globally, offering 1,000 km (621 miles) range and 4C fast charging. Many OEMs received inquiries from consumers about purchasing Qilin-powered models right after our Qilin battery was launched. The first model powered by Qilin batteries will be launched in the first quarter of next year. Friends in Macao are welcome to stay tuned.
Macao is a beautiful and vibrant city. What’s next? I think in the near future, Macao can take the lead in becoming a zero-carbon city, a global model of comprehensive electrification and carbon neutrality.
In the process of "electrifying" Macao, CATL intends to facilitate Macao in three aspects. The first is the electrification of transportation. In recent years, the Macao SAR government has actively responded to the country’s call to achieve the goal of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, advocated green transportation, plus a strong awareness of environmental protection among Macao residents, all of which have provided favorable conditions for Macao’s electrification.
As an experienced player in this field, CATL has the world’s leading solutions for the electrification of various transportation facilities. For the urban characteristics of Macao, CATL’s EVOGO modular battery swapping solution has outstanding advantages. The battery can be adapted to different brands and models. It only takes one minute to swap a battery block.
Our battery swap station solution highlights high compatibility, need-based battery rental, and complementarity with charging services. There are up to 48 batteries in one station, which can fully meet the high-frequency demand for a battery swap. Not only that, our battery swap station can also become the city’s UPS, ensuring the uninterrupted supply of electricity in a certain region.
Secondly, Macao boasts a well-developed water transportation network, and the development of electric ships is at the right time. CATL is the first EV battery company that has passed the approval and inspection of the latest testing guideline of the China Classification Society "Inspection Guidelines for Battery Electric Ships." Our batteries have been widely used in electric passenger vessels, sightseeing ships, governmental maritime vessels, scientific research ships, yachts, etc., and have accumulated many solutions. Once Macao realizes the electrification of water transportation, it will be able to bid farewell to diesel smell and noise.
Also, we are poised to support energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction in Macao’s electricity consumption. Macao’s commercial electricity accounts for about 80%, and most of the electricity is not supplied locally. Therefore, improving the efficiency of urban energy utilization is an inevitable requirement for carbon emissions reduction, and energy storage can play a huge role in power transmission and distribution, as well as power consumption.
Featuring long service life, a high level of integration, and substantial safety, our energy storage system EnerOne can achieve a service life of 10,000 cycles and is compatible with converters ranging from 600V to 1500V. It covers an area of only 1.69 square meters, which is especially suitable for the application of industrial and commercial energy storage. The energy storage system can facilitate frequency regulation and a peak load of the power grid while enabling large commercial facilities to reduce electricity costs effectively.
At present, there are more than 5 million new energy vehicles in the world equipped with CATL batteries. We will innovate to develop the aftermarket, have established the world’s largest after-sales service network, and have a large number of after-sales product solutions.
Dear leaders and friends, technology creates a better life, and electrification helps achieve energy freedom. I believe that electrifying Macao will help Macao become a zero-carbon garden that shines in the world. CATL will go all out to increase investment in innovation and use the most advanced new energy solutions with the lowest carbon emissions consumption to contribute to the high-quality and sustainable development of Macao and the world.
Thank you!