ABS and Contemporary Amperex Collaborate on Battery Power Research

ABS and the Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) are to work together to research lithium battery propulsion for next generation vessels.

The Frame Cooperation Agreement, signed at Marintec, will see ABS and CATL jointly carry out the research on the technical standards for battery-powered vessels, including key safety-related technologies such as the propulsion system, charging system, power battery compartment layout and fire control.

The project also covers research into the technical standards of lithium batteries, including various battery material properties and combustion mechanisms as well as the performance of safety system, such as monitoring and early warning of thermal diffusion. The work will support revision of the classification of lithium battery inspection guidelines and drive improvements in the standard system for lithium batteries for ships.

“Vehicle designs have taken advantage of new battery technologies such as Lithium batteries originally developed for the telecommunications industry with considerable success. ABS and CATL are at the forefront of exploring how to harness the potential of these new battery technologies to power ocean going vessels,” said Dr. Xiaozhi (Christina) Wang, ABS Vice President, Global Marine. “Battery technology can certainly contribute to fuel savings and therefore GHG emissions reduction in a number of ways which make this an exciting area for practical research.” 

“The Li-Ion battery technology of CATL is already being applied to electric passenger vehicles, buses, electric trucks and a range of other vehicles.  We look forward to working with ABS to expand this technology to vessels and realizing our shared vision of a more sustainable society in the near future,” said Qu Tao, Assistant to the Chairman of CATL.