CATL to build custom batteries for six-seat Skyla V30 electric aircraft

CATL, the world’s biggest EV battery maker, will develop custom aviation batteries for the Skyla V30, a six-seat electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from Hangzhou start-up Blue Vector.

The two companies have signed strategic and product cooperation agreements, with Blue Vector choosing CATL as its exclusive battery partner, CATL said on 2 November. Neither company has disclosed the value of the deal, the battery specifications or a supply timeline.

Six-seat tiltrotor

The Skyla V30 is an all-electric, six-seat tiltrotor designed for intercity passenger travel. It made its debut in July, and the first full-scale technology demonstrator, A/C01, was rolled out in Harbin on 31 August.

In September, Blue Vector said it had signed pre-sale orders for 60 V30s, including 30 from Singapore-based Moon Aero, its first overseas orders. That took its total pre-sales past 100 aircraft. Its eVTOL business has raised more than RMB 400 million (about NZ$100 million) across five funding rounds in around six months, according to CnEVPost.

Not CATL’s first eVTOL deal

In August 2024, CATL agreed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Shanghai eVTOL maker AutoFlight and develop eVTOL batteries with it. Last November the pair showed a floating vertiport, combining a landing pad, energy storage and charging on a battery-powered vessel.

CATL has also worked with Chinese aircraft maker COMAC on research into battery-powered aircraft. COMAC is developing the 19-seat CE-25A electric airliner, although any link between CATL and that aircraft has not been confirmed.

This story first appeared on our sister site, Inside China Auto.