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Aptera partnering with CTNS to build better battery packs for its solar EVs

February 18, 2024

Aptera Motors, a solar electric vehicle (sEV) manufacturer, has established a strategic alliance with CTNS, a battery innovation technology company to scale the production of Aptera’s transformative solar EV. The companies have signed multiple agreements to build Aptera’s battery pack program, develop other energy solutions, and create a joint venture subsidiary dedicated to advancing these initiatives.

CTNS offers services for the development, manufacturing, and management of battery packs for various industries, including robotics, electric vehicles, and air mobility. As Aptera’s tier-1 battery supplier and manufacturer, CTNS will support Aptera’s resources in designing, building, and validating a high-quality, energy-efficient, and reliable battery pack program. CTNS will source and install battery production lines for Aptera in Carlsbad, CA and supply the Aptera Battery Pack for its solar electric vehicle, which boasts a 400-mile range plus up to 40 miles per day from solar power.

CTNS, headquartered in Changwon, Korea, is a significant battery pack supplier for the robotics industry in South Korea. The company provides end-to-end development and manufacturing of battery packs for companies including HL Mando, Hyundai Robotics, Hyundai Mobis, SK E&S, and more.

The master supply and investment agreements, signed at the close of 2023, are part of a broader partnership between the two companies. They recently signed an MOU to establish a joint venture company for Aptera’s battery pack program and other energy solutions. To support this joint venture and Aptera’s battery pack program, CTNS will contribute $5 million, complemented by grant money awarded to Aptera from the California Energy Commission (CEC), totaling approximately $10 million for Aptera’s battery manufacturing.