CATL (HKEX: 3750) has signed agreements with Blue Vector Intelligent Technology to develop aviation batteries for the Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The companies recently signed strategic and product cooperation agreements, with Blue Vector selecting CATL as its exclusive battery partner, the battery maker said in a statement on Monday.

The partnership will focus on the Skyla V30, a product of Skyla Aviation — Blue Vector's eVTOL business — for which CATL will develop custom batteries. The statement did not disclose the deal's value, battery specifications or a supply timeline.

The Skyla V30 is a 6-seat, all-electric tiltrotor aircraft designed for intercity passenger travel. Its first full-scale technology demonstrator, A/C01, rolled out on August 31 this year in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, in northeastern China.

Under plans disclosed at the time, the demonstrator will undergo systems integration, ground testing and tilt-transition flight tests, marking the project's shift from design and development to full-aircraft engineering validation.

Blue Vector said on September 24 that it had signed pre-sales orders for 60 V30 aircraft during the Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou, including 30 from Singapore-based aviation operator Moon Aero.

The Moon Aero deal marked the V30's first overseas pre-sales orders. Blue Vector said at the time that cumulative pre-sales orders had exceeded 100 aircraft since the model's global debut in July, and that it planned to continue engineering validation and airworthiness certification work.

Blue Vector has also been raising funds to support research and development.

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