CATL has signed an agreement with the Civil Aviation University of China to establish a joint laboratory focused on aviation battery technology and airworthiness standards. The partnership was announced on November 11 in Ningde, Fujian province.
The laboratory will research battery systems for electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, including applications in China’s growing low-altitude aviation sector.
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Focus on Aviation Battery Standards and Testing
The collaboration will prioritize the development of technical standards and testing systems for aviation batteries. CATL and the university plan to jointly draft and revise civil aviation technical requirements and industry association standards.
They will also establish a testing and validation platform to improve battery safety assessments and airworthiness verification capabilities.
Beyond research, the agreement includes aviation talent development, emerging engineering education reforms and joint industry-university training programmes.
Battery Safety Remains a Key Aviation Challenge
The partnership comes as China’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and electric general aviation industries move toward product validation and certification.
Unlike electric vehicle batteries, aviation batteries must meet more demanding requirements for energy density, thermal runaway prevention, cell failure management and system redundancy. Manufacturers must balance lightweight designs with sufficient range, safety and operational reliability.
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CATL has already been developing high-energy-density battery technologies for aviation applications. Its condensed matter battery, introduced in 2023, targets cell-level energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg and was developed with crewed electric aircraft in mind.
The new laboratory will support efforts to address technical and regulatory barriers as China advances the commercialization of electric aviation.