CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, officially opened its NING Service Norway Experience Center in Oslo on Thursday.
The 8,000-square-metre facility is the largest NING Service centre outside Asia, according to the company.
CATL chose Norway as the showcase for its European aftermarket business because the country has the highest EV share in the world.
Fully electric vehicles took a record 98.7% of new passenger car registrations in Norway in August, up from 96.9% a year earlier, according to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV).
Electric models also account for more than 60% of buses, CATL said at the event.
Full Battery Lifecycle
The Oslo centre offers services across the full battery lifecycle, from testing, maintenance and repair to insurance, second-life use and recycling.
NING Service is CATL’s aftermarket brand, launched in August 2024, according to the company’s corporate presentation.
The Norway centre was first unveiled on August 10 during NING Service’s annual Brand Day in Haikou, China, when CATL opened 10 directly operated experience centres at once, including sites in Hong Kong, Norway and Türkiye.
CATL says its mobile repair units can cut repair times from 72 hours to 48 hours.
NING Service can repair batteries in 76.8% of new energy vehicle models sold in China, up from 47% previously.
The company also said its Intelligent Eagle Eye System, used to monitor repairs, is deployed in more than 150 facilities.
CATL runs a training network for battery technicians across 39 European countries, with 14 instructors, the company said.
Turkey, Paris and UK Next
Outside Europe, CATL opened its first Middle East NING Service Experience Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in January.
The Riyadh facility covers more than 7,000 square metres.
CATL also plans centres in South Africa, Portugal, Spain, France and the UK.
The next flagship centre in Europe will open in Turkey later this year, CATL executive Bruce Li told a media roundtable in Oslo attended by EV.
“And the next is after Turkey, Paris. And after Paris, maybe UK,” Li said.
The Paris centre will open in March next year and will house a demonstration battery swap station for passenger cars, Li said, as EV reported exclusively earlier on Thursday.
10,000 Locations by 2030
NING Service operates 1,394 service locations in 85 countries, CATL said in Oslo.
The company aims to be present in 100 countries by 2027 and to reach 10,000 locations by 2030.
The aftermarket network supports a much larger installed base.
About one in every 2.5 EVs worldwide uses a CATL battery, and the company has ranked first globally in power battery deployment volume for nine consecutive years, according to its corporate presentation.
CATL batteries power more than 28.65 million vehicles across more than 529 models and 176 brands, the presentation shows.
Closing the Loop
Recycling is the final stage of the lifecycle offered at the Oslo centre.
CATL can process 270,000 tonnes of waste power batteries a year and plans to lift total recycling capacity above 1 million tonnes by 2030, according to the presentation.
The company cites a comprehensive recovery rate of 99.6% for nickel, cobalt and manganese and 96.5% for lithium.
In June, CATL and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation launched the Global Energy Circular Economy Coalition (GECC) during London Climate Action Week, according to a joint statement.
The coalition plans to publish circular battery design guidelines in 2027.
Representatives of Nio, DHL, Volvo, MAN Truck & Bus, ZF Group, Robert Bosch, Intilion, Rolls-Royce Power Systems and DSV attended the opening of the Oslo location.
