The Chinese global leader CATL has been producing battery cells in Arnstadt, Germany, since the end of 2022. They are used in vehicles such as the Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron. The site also hosts a large testing centre for both customers and internal purposes – and its capacities are now set to double.
CATL inaugurated its first cell factory in Europe at the beginning of 2023, although production had already started at the end of 2022. The facility also includes a battery testing and validation centre, which was certified last year by major customer Volkswagen. Cells from this plant are used in the Porsche Macan built in Leipzig and the Audi Q6 e-tron produced in Ingolstadt.
The testing facility, established with support from the Thuringian state government, is equipped with specialised machinery and infrastructure that enables all types of batteries, with different chemistries and production formats, to be evaluated for performance, longevity, and compatibility with modern EV motor platforms. This includes simulating different charging stations, assessing the impact of temperature fluctuations on battery performance down to -30 degrees, and testing charge and discharge performance using typical driving profiles.
The battery testing centre in Arnstadt will now be expanded, with testing capacities set to double by early 2026, creating one of the largest battery cell testing facilities in Europe. “With the expansion of our test and validation centre, CATL is taking an important step to meet the growing demand for advanced battery solutions in Europe,” CATL Germany Managing Director Matt Shen told the German news agency dpa.
CATL explained that the capacity expansion is in line with the company’s broader European growth. The Chinese group plans to build a cell factory in Zaragoza, Spain, together with Stellantis, with an investment of up to €4.1 billion. In Debrecen, Hungary, CATL is also constructing a cell factory expected to begin operations next year, supplying customers such as Mercedes-Benz.
CATL currently employs 1,700 people in Arnstadt. Initially, many staff were Chinese specialists, who are gradually returning home and being replaced by local personnel. CATL also provides vocational training at the site for machine and plant operators, mechatronics technicians, industrial mechanics, and warehouse logistics specialists.
In February, CATL announced plans to further ramp up production in Arnstadt. The plant was originally designed for an annual capacity of 14 GWh, with an investment of €1.8 billion.
handelsblatt.com (in German), linkedin.com
