Summary
The Hungarian plant will become CATL's largest production base outside China once all facilities are ready. For details, please visit CnEVPost (cnev.co).
A CATL lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cell on display at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2023. Credit: CnEVPost.
- The Hungarian plant will become CATL's largest production base outside China once all facilities are ready.
- The first 2 cell production lines began trial runs to prepare for equipment commissioning and process validation ahead of mass production.
CATL (HKEX: 3750) has started producing battery cells at its Hungarian plant, moving closer to supplying European automakers at scale from a local facility.
The plant secured all permits required for trial operations and began trial cell production on September 22, the Chinese battery giant said in a statement on Tuesday.
The new cell factory in Debrecen met all prerequisites for trial operations, with its first 2 production lines beginning trial runs.
Trial production is intended to set up, optimize and validate production equipment and manufacturing processes ahead of mass production. The company did not disclose a specific timetable for mass production in the statement.
The plant obtained an occupancy permit in August, followed by all remaining relevant permits, and fulfilled all prerequisites under its Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) permit before starting trial operations.
Local authorities conducted repeated on-site inspections before issuing the occupancy permit to follow up on issues that had raised serious concerns among residents, CATL said. Regulatory representatives confirmed that all deficiencies previously identified during the permitting process had been resolved.
The company said it would continue monitoring employee health, safety and environmental indicators during trial operations and proactively submit the results to regulators while maintaining close cooperation with the government and relevant authorities.
Trial cell production marks a significant step in CATL's efforts to expand its local supply capacity in Europe. The company has manufactured battery modules in Debrecen since the fall of 2024, producing 537,000 to date.
The Hungarian plant will become CATL's largest production base outside China once all facilities are ready, with a capacity of 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh), the company said.
CATL announced the project in August 2022 as its second European battery plant after its German facility, aiming to deepen its integration into Europe's automotive and electric mobility supply chains.
Construction of the first cell building began in summer 2023, and production equipment installation was completed by spring 2026. CATL said the site uses flexible production lines to meet customer needs.
The start of trial cell production comes later than the company's earlier production target. Reuters reported in September 2025, citing CATL's European general manager Matt Shen, that the company was aiming to begin production in late 2025 or early 2026.
CATL is the world's largest maker of EV batteries, with global battery installations reaching 289.6 GWh in January-July, up 26.6% from a year earlier, according to data released earlier this month by South Korean market researcher SNE Research.
The company's global market share rose to 39.9% in January-July from 38.0% a year earlier, approaching 40%.
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