Through 450 extreme tests, CATL secures Volkswagen's first full-chain certification

Recently, CATL announced that its battery pack laboratory has passed authoritative certification from Volkswagen Group (hereinafter referred to as “Volkswagen”), officially becoming the world’s first power battery company to simultaneously obtain full-chain laboratory accreditation for Volkswagen cells, modules, and battery packs. Uwe Westerhoff, head of Volkswagen Group’s battery testing center certification, and Dr. Su Yuzhuan, director of CATL’s testing and verification center, along with their core teams, jointly attended the certification ceremony.

Volkswagen’s testing standards are regarded as one of the most stringent quality benchmarks in the global automotive industry, known for comprehensive coverage and high assessment thresholds. In terms of testing breadth, the standard covers over 450 test items across the entire chain of cells, modules, and battery packs. In terms of testing intensity, it involves multiple extreme working conditions. For example, regarding the chassis impact issues most commonly encountered in new energy vehicles, the national standard requires an impact energy of 150J to ensure basic safety during daily driving caused by small stones or minor bottoming; meanwhile, Volkswagen’s standard demands that battery packs withstand a heavy impact of 1300J—more than eight times the energy level—meaning that even in high-speed impacts with large stones or severe bottoming, the battery pack can still reliably maintain core safety.

CATL has always adhered to rigorous testing standards, building a strong quality defense line for global customers and users. Relying on its “full-chain” autonomous testing capabilities, CATL and Volkswagen can achieve closer, in-depth collaboration during the development phase, eliminating cumbersome external transportation and third-party outsourcing steps. This not only shortens the development and validation cycle of new models by 40% but also ensures that, amid rapid iteration, product quality remains under real-time monitoring according to the world’s strictest standards.

Moreover, CATL has taken the lead in transitioning its testing system from traditional methods to an unmanned, intelligent generation. Through the innovative “Unmanned Cell Laboratory,” CATL has broken through the efficiency bottleneck of traditional manual testing: achieving fully automated processes, increasing testing efficiency by 20%, while ensuring high precision, high stability, and high consistency. Additionally, with a rigorous intelligent monitoring system, real-time data monitoring and closed-loop traceability are realized throughout the entire process. Uwe Westerhoff, chief quality auditor of Volkswagen Group, and Mr. Shao Rundong, chief testing technology auditor, both praised at the ceremony: “CATL’s overall technological level remains at the forefront of the global industry, providing a solid and reliable technical guarantee for product quality.”

In the future, CATL will deepen collaborative innovation with partners like Volkswagen, continue to focus on testing technology innovation, lead industry testing standards, and provide more reliable verification systems to deliver an even more excellent and confident mobility experience for global users.