CATL enters robotaxi sector with new joint venture

CATL, a global leader in electric vehicle battery manufacturing, has officially entered the robotaxi sector through a new joint venture, marking a significant diversification for the company known primarily for its power battery business. The new entity, Shanghai Zaofu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., was registered in Shanghai on June 23 with a registered capital of 1.288 billion yuan (177.5 million USD). The company will focus on the research and development, safe application, and commercialisation of Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving technology.

The joint venture is a collaborative effort between Hello, Ant Group, and CATL. Initial combined investments exceeded 3 billion yuan (413.5 million USD) from their respective investment entities: Shanghai Yunyang Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd. (Ant Group), Shanghai Junha Network Technology Co., Ltd. (Hello), and Ningbo Meishan Bonded Port Area Wending Investment Co., Ltd. (CATL).

This partnership was formalised earlier this year, with a three-party strategic cooperation agreement signed in April 2025 in Hangzhou. The agreement outlines a collaboration leveraging each company’s technological and resource advantages to jointly develop L4 autonomous driving technology, enhance its safety and reliability, and promote its commercial application and ecosystem development.

The collaboration will draw on the distinct strengths of each partner:

• Hello has been deepening its mobility services, expanding into overseas markets, and promoting AI’s deep application in the mobility sector. This has provided the company with extensive experience for its foray into the robotaxi domain. Hello’s robotaxi business and R&D team have already recruited many technical talents in areas such as large AI models and autonomous driving, establishing a core talent matrix.
• Ant Group has been actively investing in exploring and researching foundational AI technologies. Its technological advantages in areas like large models, reinforcement learning, and embodied intelligence, along with its experience in security and privacy protection, will provide extensive support for Hello’s autonomous driving business development.
• CATL is leading the intelligent and digital transformation of power batteries. Its advanced power battery technology and intelligent skateboard chassis technology, which support deep integration of the chassis with intelligent driving modules, will provide a secure foundation for autonomous driving.

About the partners:

Hello, formerly known as HelloBike and Hello Travel, simplified its corporate brand name to its current form on April 25, 2022. It is a prominent shared bicycle brand in mainland China, offering ride-hailing and other lifestyle services. Hello began with shared bicycle services and has evolved into a diversified mobility and lifestyle service platform, including two-wheel mobility (HelloBike, Hello E-bike, Hello Electric Vehicle, Xiaoha Battery Swap), four-wheel mobility (Hello Hitch, full-network ride-hailing, Hello Taxi), as well as hotel and in-store services.

Ant Group (formerly Ant Financial) is a Chinese internet financial services company that originated from Alipay, the third-party payment platform of the online shopping website Taobao. In 2014, Alibaba Group spun off its payment and financial businesses to establish Zhejiang Ant Small and Micro Financial Services Group Co., Ltd. (Ant Financial), which changed its name to Ant Group in June 2020. As of 2021, Ant Group’s valuation reached 150 billion USD, making it the second-largest unicorn company globally.