CATL, DHL agree to strengthen emissions reduction partnership

A DHL Class 8 electric truck. December 2023. (Photo: DHL Supply Chain)

Chinese battery and technology provider CATL and logistics company DHL Group said they have signed a strategic agreement to strengthen their partnership on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in logistics parks. The agreement marks the implementation and strengthening of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) the two companies signed last year that outlined global cooperation in carbon-neutral facilities and the electrification of DHL’s fleet of pick-up and delivery vehicles.

Per the agreement, CATL will provide advanced liquid-cooled energy storage systems and energy management platforms to DHL’s logistics parks. By connecting to battery swapping and superfast charging systems, CATL said its energy storage solution will help optimize the energy structure across various DHL facilities with maximum utilization of green energy. This approach aligns with DHL’s sustainability target of net zero-emission logistics by 2050.

CATL said it will also explore the future of electric vehicles (EV), battery recycling and end-of-life management, as well as pursuing innovations in the auto-mobility sector, supported by DHL’s global network of EV Centers of Excellence.

According to its website, DHL operates more than 10 EV Centers of Excellence around the world, each of which has the infrastructure and expertise to handle everything from EV battery transport to battery reverse logistics. CATL added that it has chosen DHL as its preferred logistics service provider due to this global network.