Battery giant CATL takes to the skies with investment into Chinese air taxi developer

Chinese battery manufacturing giant CATL has invested “hundreds of millions of dollars” into Chinese electric flying taxi startup and eVTOL pioneer Autoflight.

Autoflight announced over the weekend that it had signed an exclusive strategic investment and cooperation agreement with CATL which would see CATL “invest hundreds of millions of dollars” and become a strategic investor.

With its global headquarters in Shanghai, manufacturing and production factories across China, and a research and development facility in Munich, Germany, Autoflight has already made a name for itself with several noteworthy milestones.

The company set a record in early 2023 for longest eVTOL flight on a single battery charge of 250.3km and has since carried out the formation flight of three autonomous eVTOL aircraft, completed the world’s first inter-city eVTOL air-taxi flight, and the first long-distance flight of a tonne-class eVTOL.

Autoflight currently advertises five different aircraft on its website, including the sleek-looking Prosperity, which boasts a maximum range of 250km and a cruising speed of 200km/h.

AutoFlight’s CarryAll cargo aircraft – which boasts similar figures as Prosperity, but swaps capacity for passengers with carrying capacity – obtained type certification (TC) in March 2024 from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, while the TC process for Propsierty officially got underway in April 2024.

The new strategic investment and cooperation agreement with CATL will see the two companies commit to joint research and development of eVTOL aviation batteries, with a focus on enhancing the energy density and performance of eVTOL batteries to support longer flight distances and higher load capacities, while also improving safety and stability.

CATL’s investment is expected to be used to enhance the safety and reliability of air logistics while expediting the research and development and airworthiness certification of Prosperity.

“Through this in-depth collaboration with CATL, AutoFlight will not only accelerate the development and application of eVTOL battery technology but also elevate the overall technical capabilities of eVTOL aircraft to new heights,” the companies said in a press statement.