However, the biggest battery maker in the world, Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, better known as CATL, believes that going down the cylindrical cell route is a dead end. CATL’s founder and head honcho, Robin Zeng, told Tesla CEO Elon Musk this to his face. The reaction was silence.

NINGDE, China (Reuters) - Robin Zeng, the billionaire founder of CATL, aims to reinvent the world’s largest battery maker as a green-energy provider and to slash the cost of developing electric vehicles, upending the economics of the industry that has ...

CATL has restricted its presence in the U.S. market to battery-production licensing deals. Ford is opening a Michigan plant to build low-cost lithium-phosphate batteries under a licensing deal with CATL for its Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning pickup.

Battery giant’s chairman said he’d be open to investing in a US facility, and Trump has previously suggested he’d welcome China-backed projects

Robin Zeng, the billionaire founder of CATL , aims to reinvent the world’s largest battery maker as a green-energy provider and to slash the cost of developing electric vehicles, upending the economics of the industry that has powered its growth.

Contemporary Amperex Technology, the world's largest electric vehicle battery maker in terms of installation, will consider building a plant in the United States if US President-elect Donald Trump opens the door to Chinese investment, reported media.

Robin Zeng, told Reuters. “Originally, when we wanted to invest in the US, the US government said no,” the Chinese billionaire said in an interview last week. “For me, I’m really open-minded.” Chinese electric-car and battery makers have been ...