Volkswagen to develop 'CATL’s cell to pack tech'

Volkswagen will concentrate on producing battery cells at its factories that will be constructed in Europe while also developing CATL’s cell to pack (CTP) technology.

Soonho Ahn, the CTO at Volkswagen’s battery cell subsidiary PowerCo, said as much during a job conference to hire South Korean battery staff.

Volkswagen will complete its battery factory in Salzgitter, Germany, then build another in Spain and all across Europe, Ahn said during the conference.

CTP removes the module that covers the cells before they are put into packs. Ahn likely meant that PowerCo is planning to develop a similar technology to that of CATL's, which is used widely in Tesla models.

As the module is removed, there is more space to put in cells and increase the overall energy density of the pack, increasing the drive distance of electric vehicles.

According to Ahn, PowerCo is also planning to set up a regional office in South Korea though he didn’t share the exact timeline.

But battery-related staff of Volkswagen had made multiple visits to South Korea since last year, which means the office will likely be set up soon.

PowerCo will also likely seek suppliers of key battery production materials such as cathode, anode, and others from South Korea through the office.

Volkswagen is planning to use high manganese cathode which uses less nickel and lithium which are relatively more expensive than manganese for the batteries that will go into its budget EV models.

When a cathode is called high manganese, it usually means manganese accounts for around 10% to 20% of the cathode material.

During the job conference, Ahn also told the audience about the appeals of working at Volkswagen such as the high pay and 35 hours per week of work time.

PowerCo is Volkswagen’s subsidiary that oversees battery development and production.

The car giant had previously unveiled its unified prismatic cell which it says it will apply to 80% of its EV models by 2030.