CATL’s Ning Service Launches CTP Battery Repair with 80% Cost Savings

Ning Service, the aftermarket arm of Chinese battery giant CATL, has marked its first anniversary by introducing repair services for Cell-to-Pack (CTP) batteries for Chinese consumers.

The launch comes as more than half of new vehicle sales in China are now new energy vehicles (NEVs), and many early models are starting to come out of warranty. With battery issues among the most expensive and challenging problems to fix, the lack of affordable repair options has become a growing concern for owners.

CTP technology has gained popularity in recent years for its ability to improve energy density. However, the tightly integrated design that makes CTP packs efficient also makes them much harder to service. 

In most cases, workshops would prefer to simply replace the entire battery pack rather than attempt repairs.

Data from the China Insurance Association (CIA) underscores the issue of cost involved. Based on a study of 59 EVs, the battery pack alone made up just over half the vehicle’s total value. In real terms, replacing the pack in a RMB200,000 (RM129,600) EV can cost more than RMB100,000 (RM64,800).

Ning Service says its new offering could dramatically reduce those costs. At its Shanghai flagship outlet, staff informed Chinese media that repairs typically cost between RMB10,000–20,000 (RM6,480–RM12,960), a fraction of the cost of full CTP replacement.

For now, the service is limited to CATL-made batteries.

Originally formed in 2015 as Ning Service, today operates more than 1,100 service centres in 75 countries, including a 2,000-square-meter facility in Thailand aimed at supporting CATL's global technology deployment and service coordination. In China alone, there are over 800 sites offering these services.

Services offered by Ning Service include battery diagnostics, maintenance, second-life battery testing for used EVs, refurbishment, recycling and repurposing for other applications such as Battery Energy Storage System  (BESS).

CATL says Ning Service is part of a broader strategy to create a closed-loop ecosystem for its products. Over time, the company aims to expand into charging solutions, battery-swapping services, and even applications in urban air mobility, marine transport, and low-carbon infrastructure.

Based of Carz.com.my’s observation, for younger EV markets like Malaysia, however, such specialised repair services are unlikely to be viable in the near term. Large-scale EV adoption is still in its early stages, making this a challenging business model for now.