CATL Picks a Flying-Car Bet: Exclusive Battery Deal for Blue Vector 6-Seat Skyla V30 Tiltrotor

CATL has signed strategic and product cooperation agreements with Blue Vector Intelligent Technology to develop aviation batteries for the Chinese eVTOL maker, CnEVPost reported November 2. Blue Vector, based in Hangzhou, selected CATL as its exclusive battery partner. The partnership will focus on the Skyla V30, a product of Skyla Aviation — Blue Vector eVTOL business — for which CATL will develop custom batteries. The statement did not disclose the deal value, battery specifications or a supply timeline, so the commercial weight of the deal cannot yet be judged.

The aircraft itself is aimed at a different mission from city air taxis. The Skyla V30 is a 6-seat, all-electric tiltrotor designed for intercity passenger travel. Its first full-scale technology demonstrator, A/C01, rolled out on August 31, 2026, in Harbin, and under plans disclosed at the time it will undergo systems integration, ground testing and tilt-transition flight tests — the shift from design 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.

CATL is not new to this sector: in November 2025, Autoflight unveiled a floating vertiport jointly developed with CATL, integrating an eVTOL takeoff and landing platform, energy storage, charging and other systems into a battery-powered vessel. The Skyla deal extends that logic from infrastructure to the aircraft powerplant itself. Blue Vector eVTOL business completed five funding rounds in nearly six months to June 30, raising more than 400 million yuan in total — momentum, but not certification, and certification remains the long pole for any intercity eVTOL.