CATL Enlists Google, Xiaomi, and BMW to Draft Global Battery Standards
The battery supply chain of CATL has expanded into a global standardisation alliance, where the world’s largest battery cell manufacturer has joined vehicle and technology brands such as Google, Xiaomi, BMW, Renault, and Volvo to launch an integrated circular economy framework.
This platform establishes a structured development path for future battery asset management and vehicle lifecycle regulation, as confirmed by CATL and reported by Carnewschina on Monday.
This engineering initiative focuses on the development of the Battery Circular Design Guide, which is scheduled for full release in 2027. The framework introduces uniform criteria for battery cell diagnostic testing, the simplification of battery pack disassembly, and the remanufacturing of battery cells.
Technical parameters will establish structural evaluation metrics for both electric passenger cars and heavy commercial logistics vehicles.
Technical Design Standards
The alliance focuses on expanding standardised practices through the evaluation of battery cell operating history, degradation rates, and residual battery health parameters.
By establishing uniform lifecycle rules, automotive manufacturers and fleet operators can accurately calculate asset values and manage financial deployment risks. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is coordinating this cross-industry collaboration to align corporate strategies with carbon reduction targets.
Closed-loop Recycling
Emissions within the value chain originating from mining and raw material processing activities are still five times higher than emissions from primary factory operations.
To address this hurdle, manufacturers are utilising recycled components, thereby reducing material carbon intensity by 32 per cent. CATL’s subsidiary, Brunp, processed 210,000 tonnes of battery waste in 2025 and successfully recovered 99.6 per cent of core minerals.
Expansion of Battery Swapping Systems in Europe
To expand overseas infrastructure, the company has partnered with Octopus Energy to build a commercial vehicle network in Europe. This initiative follows the initial introduction of battery swapping systems for heavy trucks in Europe.
The new project utilises verified engineering from a 1,250 km heavy vehicle battery swapping corridor implemented on domestic logistics routes last year.
Operational monitoring shows that 1,000 efficiency projects have reduced emissions intensity in primary factories by 77 per cent since 2022.
These manufacturing process cleaning efforts directly enabled the company to achieve operational carbon neutrality across all its battery manufacturing facilities last year.
Standardised emission reductions ensure that future international battery cell exports remain fully aligned with upcoming Western environmental mandates.