At the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos Forum in Dalian, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.,Ltd. (CATL) Chief Manufacturing Officer Ni Jun shared insights on the pivotal role of batteries in the era of software-defined vehicles. Speaking at a forum titled 'When Cars Become Software Platforms,' Ni Jun reflected on the immense complexity of battery manufacturing, noting that despite his extensive experience in various industries since 1978, he had never encountered a product as challenging to produce as the battery.
He emphasized the industry's rigorous quality target, aiming for a defect rate as low as one in ten billion. The reason for such extreme precision, he explained, is that the battery is fundamentally a safety system for the vehicle. Its performance and reliability are influenced by a vast array of factors, from the initial research and development of the core material systems to the manufacturing equipment and processes, and even extending to post-sale conditions like driving habits and operational environments.
Ni Jun pointed out that batteries have an exceptionally low tolerance for defects. In the context of software-defined vehicles, the vision extends beyond the battery merely powering the car. The aspiration is for the battery to evolve into a node within a distributed energy system, integrating intelligently with the vehicle's software architecture.
Regarding the relationship between automobiles and batteries, Ni Jun concluded that the foundational element enabling software-defined vehicles is, unequivocally, the battery.
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