宁德时代（CATL）由曾毓群于2011年创立，总部位于中国福建省宁德市。这家公司在短短15年内成长为全球最大的电池制造商，市值超过2600亿美元，生产了全球超过40%的电动车电池。宁德这座曾经默默无闻的小城，也因CATL的崛起而跻身联合国世界知识产权组织评选的全球最具创新密集度城市第四名。曾毓群出身农村家庭，拥有高等物理学博士学位，如今已成为中国第四大富豪，个人财富估计达530亿美元。
CATL的核心竞争力在于其对研发创新的极致追求。截至目前，公司已拥有超过六万项专利（已授权或待审），去年将近三分之一的净利润投入研发，研发预算超过30亿美元。在24万名员工中，近三万人从事研发工作，其中超过700人拥有博士学位。技术突破方面，CATL推出了续航1500公里的电池，以及仅需六分半钟即可从10%充至98%的超快充电池，并在中国部署了2300座换电站，计划年底前扩展至4000座。此外，公司正大力推进钠离子电池的量产，预计明年将实现与锂离子电池的成本持平。
在国际扩张方面，CATL面临复杂的地缘政治环境。美国拜登政府曾将其列为「中国军事企业」，美国国会小组委员会也指控其与新疆人权问题有关联，CATL对此予以否认。在欧洲，欧盟拟议的《工业加速法案》可能对中国清洁能源投资施加新限制。面对这些挑战，CATL采取务实策略：与福特达成技术授权协议，在德国设有工厂，并在匈牙利和西班牙建设更大规模的生产基地。公司同时积极拓展电网级储能业务，该业务已贡献其15%的营收，并强调自身是一家「全球性公司」。
CATL, founded by Robin Zeng in 2011 and headquartered in the once-obscure Chinese city of Ningde, has grown into the world's largest battery manufacturer in just 15 years, with a market capitalisation exceeding $260 billion and over 40% global EV battery market share. The company's meteoric rise transformed Ningde into one of the world's most innovation-intensive cities, ranking fourth globally by the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization. Zeng, who grew up in a farming family and earned a doctorate in advanced physics, is now China's fourth-richest person with an estimated fortune of $53 billion.
Innovation is the engine of CATL's dominance. The company holds over 60,000 patents, invests more than $3 billion annually in R&D — nearly a third of its net profit — and employs close to 30,000 researchers out of a 240,000-strong workforce, including over 700 PhD holders. Its latest batteries can power a car for 1,500 km on a single charge or recharge from 10% to 98% in just six and a half minutes. CATL has also deployed 2,300 battery-swapping stations in China, targeting 4,000 by year-end, and is pioneering sodium-ion batteries for grid-scale storage, with cost parity against lithium-ion expected by next year.
CATL's global expansion faces significant geopolitical headwinds. The Biden administration designated it a "Chinese military company," and a US congressional subcommittee alleged links to Uyghur human rights abuses — claims CATL has firmly denied. In Europe, the proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act threatens new constraints on Chinese clean-energy investment. In response, CATL is pursuing a pragmatic localisation strategy: licensing technology to Ford in the US, operating a factory in Germany, and building larger plants in Hungary and Spain through partnerships including a joint venture with Stellantis. The company is also expanding into grid-scale energy storage, which already accounts for 15% of its revenue, positioning itself as a truly global enterprise.