CATL Leaders Reveal Why Energy Storage Must Catch Up to Automotive Standards

When CATL first burst onto the scene a decade ago, its focus was unmistakably on electric‑vehicle batteries – the hot‑ticket item of a world racing toward e‑mobility. Fast forward to 2026, and the Chinese giant has become one of the world’s biggest grid‑storage suppliers, eyeing a future where half of its sales come from stationary batteries.

That shift is more than a numbers game. In an exclusive chat with Power Technology, Hank Zhao – CATL’s managing director for Western Europe – and Bruce Li, the chief technology officer for AC systems, unpack how the company is borrowing from its automotive playbook to tame the wild‑west of large‑scale storage.

“I joined the EV side in 2010 and spent eleven years there,” Zhao recalls. “Around 2021 the demand for utility‑scale storage exploded in the US and China, and I thought, why not take on a new challenge?” He says the move felt natural, but the reality on the ground was anything but.

“In the car business, OEMs know the tech inside‑out. They demand data, they test every parameter, they enforce strict contracts,” Zhao explains. “In storage, many customers simply read the contract, sign a warranty, and expect the product to work. If you miss a deadline they hit you with liquidated damages, but the deeper quality checks are often missing.”

This discrepancy, Zhao warns, has already led to a spate of safety incidents – fires, performance shortfalls, even bankruptcies. “The industry lacks cross‑border standards,” he says. “Automotive has a century of unified quality processes – ISO/TS 16949, the V‑Model, robust validation loops. Storage is still figuring it out.”

Bruce Li chimes in on the friction this creates. “Some clients balk at applying automotive‑grade procedures to a battery farm. They think it’s overkill, adds cost,” he admits. “But the truth is, those standards are what keep cars on the road for years; the same reliability is needed when you’re storing megawatt‑hours of power for the grid.”

To bridge the gap, CATL has built its own internal framework, translating the automotive V‑Model into a hierarchy that starts at the system level and drills down to every cell and connector. Each design decision is validated both downstream and upstream, creating a feedback loop that mirrors the rigor of vehicle development.

“We want to be around for the next hundred years,” Zhao says with a half‑smile. “If we can embed that level of scrutiny now, we’ll avoid the fires and failures that could otherwise derail the market.”

Managing risk at the scale of projects like Australia’s 2.4 GWh Collie Battery or Nevada’s 1.4 GWh Gemini Solar‑Plus‑Storage installation is no small feat. Zhao explains his approach: “I break down worries into concrete actions – fire risk, short‑circuit scenarios, flash‑over events. We don’t just hope; we test, we validate, we write response protocols. When the team knows the product can survive a worst‑case, my anxiety shrinks dramatically.”

Both executives agree that the next wave of storage will demand tighter collaboration between manufacturers, utilities, and regulators. “A global standard for safety and performance is overdue,” Li says. “Until then, we’ll keep bringing the automotive toolbox to the grid – it’s the safest bet we have.”

As the energy‑transition accelerates, CATL’s gamble on automotive‑grade quality may set the tone for an industry that’s finally catching up.