LONDON, June 26 — China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd, better known as CATL, is shifting its focus away from electric vehicles and toward stationary battery storage at a notable pace. The world’s largest battery maker now counts storage as a quarter of its sales, up from just 2 percent five years ago.
The company has set a target of reaching 50 percent storage sales by 2030. That ambition has been supercharged, it would seem, by the artificial intelligence boom. As hyperscale data centres drive up energy demand projections across the world, battery storage systems are becoming an increasingly vital part of energy security strategies for both Big Tech and utilities.
Global energy think tank Ember describes these systems as the “ultimate clean flexibility tool for making clean electricity available when it is needed most, while keeping power grids stable and secure.” For all the noise around EV market volatility, the salient point for CATL appears to be that storage demand is accelerating faster than the car business.
The transition away from EVs and toward energy systems has been building for years, but the pace has quickened markedly. Manufacturing and purchase of battery storage have surged as utilities and data-centre operators seek to manage intermittent renewable supply and grid stability concerns.
CATL’s move reflects a broader trend in the battery industry. The company’s pivot comes as lithium prices remain volatile and as policymakers in several countries push for greater energy storage capacity to support renewable integration.
For CATL, the strategic bet is clear: storage, not cars, is where the growth lies. The company is positioning itself to supply the massive battery banks that will be needed to back up wind and solar farms, and to stabilise grids increasingly reliant on variable generation.
Whether the 2030 target proves achievable will depend on how quickly the storage market expands, and on whether CATL can maintain its dominant position against rivals in China and elsewhere. But for now, the direction of travel is unmistakable.
