Asianfin -- Robin Zeng, the billionaire founder of CATL, is working to transform the world’s largest battery manufacturer into a major green-energy provider, aiming to reduce electric vehicle development costs and revolutionize the industry that has fueled its success. In an interview with Reuters, Zeng shared his vision that the business of developing and managing “zero carbon” electric grids could become “ten times” larger than the battery market, where CATL currently holds a 37% global share. The company plans to create independent energy systems powerful enough to supply entire data centers or even cities. In another strategic move, CATL is developing an off-the-shelf electric vehicle (EV) platform, which includes a long-range battery integrated into a chassis. This approach allows customers to create their own customized EVs by simply designing the interior and exterior, significantly reducing development costs from billions to millions of dollars and making the industry accessible to new competitors. Zeng’s initiatives aim to fuel further growth for his 25-year-old company, which initially gained prominence by supplying lithium-ion batteries for Apple’s iPod before pivoting to the EV market in 2011 with a key deal with BMW. In 2023, CATL sold $40 billion worth of EV batteries, up from $33 billion the previous year. If Zeng’s vision for the electric grid business is realized, the company could see a tenfold revenue growth, putting it on par with China’s largest state oil giants, Sinopec and PetroChina.