CATL Expands Battery Aftermarket Reach with Major Nordic Hub in Oslo

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has launched its biggest service facility outside of Asia, setting up shop in Oslo to cover Norway and the wider Nordic region. The site, which opened on 24 September, spans 8,000 square metres and operates under CATL’s Ning Service branding.

The Oslo hub is designed to handle a broad spectrum of battery-related work, including diagnostics, upkeep, repairs, insurance support, second-life deployment, and recycling. Beyond passenger vehicle batteries, the centre will also cater to energy storage systems and robotics applications, while doubling as a sales and demonstration venue for other electric products such as vessels and eVTOL aircraft.

This move arrives as Norway cements its position as a global leader in EV adoption. According to CATL, battery-electric cars accounted for 98.7 per cent of new passenger car registrations in August, with electric buses and coaches surpassing 60 per cent. As the country’s EV fleet grows older, so does the need for battery health checks, repairs, and condition evaluations. Supporting this trend, Swedish dealership Carla published an analysis this summer drawing on nearly 10,000 battery tests, which indicated that many electric vehicles still hold a substantial share of their original capacity even beyond 100,000 kilometres. That finding underlines why diagnostics and targeted fixes matter more than wholesale battery swaps.

CATL’s Ning Service model is built around exactly that philosophy, steering the aftermarket away from full battery replacement and toward repair. The company says it has cut the turnaround time for complex repairs from 72 hours down to 48. Its repair capabilities currently cover 76.8 per cent of EV models, aided by a tool called the Intelligent Eagle Eye System, which CATL says is already deployed in over 150 repair workshops to ensure traceability and quality control.

Oslo is also positioned to become Ning Service’s key Nordic training base, with certified courses and hands-on instruction for local technicians. This draws on a training network spanning 39 European countries and a team of 14 experienced instructors, with partnerships at Norwegian universities and technical institutes in the works. “Customers are at the heart of everything we do at NING SERVICE. Working closely with our local partners, we will provide reliable battery lifecycle services that meet the needs of Norway’s EV market and support its continued electrification,” said Bruce Li, President of Quality Systems, Aftermarket Business Division at CATL.

Circularity is woven into the concept as well. Alongside the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, CATL has introduced the Global Energy Circularity Commitment, which aims to keep batteries in use for as long as possible before recycling their materials into new cells. Ning Service has been growing internationally for several years, with the service business dating back to 2015 and Ning becoming a standalone brand in 2024. Early 2026 saw CATL open its first Ning Service Experience Center in the Middle East, in Riyadh, covering over 7,000 square metres and offering diagnostics, repair, maintenance, recycling, training, plus logistics and storage. The Oslo facility is larger still. Ning Service now counts 1,394 locations across 85 countries and regions, with CATL targeting 100 countries by 2027 and 10,000 service points by 2030.