Chinese Battery Maker CATL Says It Will Build A US Factory If Trump Gives His Blessing

Chinese battery supplier CATL is open to building a U.S. factory if the incoming Trump administration allows it, the company's founder said in a recent interview.

 

"Originally, when we wanted to invest in the U.S., the U.S. government said no," Robin Zeng said in an interview with Reuters published Wednesday. "For me, I'm really open-minded.

 

CATL has so far limited its U.S. presence to licensing deals with automakers. Ford in 2023 announced a Michigan battery plant to build lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which the automaker has said are a key to EV affordability. The battery cells produced there would be based on CATL tech, but the factory itself would be owned by Ford. An April report said General Motors may be seeking a similar deal with CATL.