Chinese battery giant CATL launches module assembly in eastern Hungary

BUDAPEST, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) has begun battery module assembly at a newly built facility in Debrecen, eastern Hungary, the company said on Tuesday.

According to CATL, assembly operations started earlier this month. The new module assembly line has an annual production capacity of 5 gigawatt hours.

Before the launch of the new assembly line, module production had already been underway since autumn 2024 at a rented facility with two production lines. So far, around 240,000 battery modules have been produced there, enough to power approximately 60,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe.

Meanwhile, CATL said construction of its first battery cell factory in Debrecen's Southern Industrial Park has been completed. Trial production of battery cells is expected to begin once the remaining production permits are obtained.

"The investment is driven by the increasing demand in Europe for high-performance and safe EV batteries," the company said.

CATL added that it is meeting European demand with innovative, high-performance and long-life battery products while continuously adapting its portfolio to customer needs in the region.