Schaeffler took the software and safety scope in a battery-management deal with CATL

Schaeffler and the battery manufacturer CATL said on August 20 that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop automotive battery management systems and what they call X-in-1 Integrated PowerBox solutions. The release carried a joint dateline from Herzogenaurach, Germany and Ningde, China.

The agreement builds on a customer project the two companies said they had already secured. The integrated PowerBox work covers close integration of high-voltage electronics and electromechanical systems, while the battery management systems are to be tailored to the requirements of European vehicle manufacturers.

The two companies set out their contributions separately. Schaeffler said its scope covers hardware and software development, system integration, functional safety, testing and validation, and localized series production in Europe. CATL said it brings cell producing technology, battery system development and high-volume industrialization, and its executive president of quality systems, Bruce Li, named product definition, battery system design and core battery algorithms among the company’s capabilities.

Thomas Stierle, chief executive of Schaeffler’s e-mobility division, framed the target market as covering both established manufacturers and “Chinese automakers expanding overseas.”

Neither company disclosed a contract value, production volumes or a named customer, and neither set a date for series production. The announcement described the arrangement as a long-term partnership intended to strengthen the two companies’ competitiveness in Europe.