Image Source : China Visual

BEIJING, December 2 (TMTPOST)——China's battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has recently set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to develop electric ships, in a move that would allow it to take advantage of China's push to electrify water-going craft.

CATL responded on Wednesday that the subsidiary focuses on product development and application of marine power battery system-related technology.

Fujian province-based CATL started researching ship batteries in 2017, and the first set of marine battery systems was used in the official ship Yangtze River Three Gorges 1, which was launched in 2020, according to an insider close to CATL. As a leading global lithium battery company, CATL's current products are mainly used in automobiles and energy storage.

Public information shows that in April 2020, the CATL marine battery system passed the inspection of the China Classification Society. As of November 2022, CATL batteries had been applied to more than 100 ships, covering various types of ships such as fishing boats, passenger ships, and inland ships.

China is encouraging the low-carbon transformation of the ship and shipping industry. On September 28, 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and three other departments jointly announced accelerating the green and intelligent development of inland waterway vessels. It was proposed that priority be given to the development of green power technology, with battery-powered ships as a key direction. Inland waterway vessels include ships navigating the waters of China’s domestic rivers and the junction area of rivers and seas, mainly comprising passenger ships, cargo ships, engineering ships, etc.

Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 uses CATL batteries with a total power of 7.5MWh, equivalent to the total battery capacity of more than 100 pure electric cars, making it the world's largest pure electric passenger ship in terms of battery capacity. The project of the Yangtze River Three Gorges No. 1 cruise ship began in December 2020 and made its maiden voyage in March 2022.