Chinese battery giant CATL021 Archiveslooking forward to making batteries in the US if President-elect Donald Trump gives the green light for Chinese investment in the electric-vehicle supply chain, founder and chairman Robin Zeng told Reuters in a recent interview. “Originally, when we wanted to invest in the US, the US government said no,” said the Chinese billionaire. The comments were delivered after Trump, who wants to prevent China-made vehicle imports, in August expressed his openness to Chinese companies building factories in the US, adding that incentives will be awarded to create local jobs. The world’s top battery maker had been in talks to open plants as early as 2026 to make batteries for clients such as BMW and Ford in the US, according to a Reuters report published May 6, 2022. However, the company, for now, shares its battery-production know-how with Ford and Tesla in their US factories under licensing deals. [Reuters]
