Now CATL will repair electric vehicle batteries in Norway

The world’s largest battery manufacturer has opened its biggest service center outside of China at Skedsmokorset. This means electric vehicle batteries could become much cheaper to repair in Norway.

02.10.2026 08:25 | Updated 12:00

Battery repairs outside of warranty periods are often associated with extremely high costs in this country, but developments now suggest that both repairing and recycling electric vehicle batteries could become much cheaper.

CATL is the world’s largest battery producer, and this facility is described as the company’s biggest battery service center outside of China.

Last week, I reported that CATL, Ning Service, and YES-EU are opening a new battery service center at Skedsmokorset – and it is the latter two companies whose names will feature on the center, which is currently one of 19 such service centers in Europe but the largest to date.

Icelandic Involvement

A key figure in establishing this center is an Icelandic man named Benedikt Gudmundsson.

He is the second-generation leader of the company, which was founded in 1969 by Guðmundur Tyrfingsson and initially focused on building buses.

Twenty years ago, Gudmundsson established the GT Group holding company, which began collaborating with the Chinese bus manufacturer Yutong in 2018 – buses from this partnership have increasingly appeared on Norwegian roads in recent years.

This led to the creation of YES (Yutong Eurobus Scandinavia), the predecessor to today’s YES-EU, which is also based in Switzerland.

Focused on the winter climate

The company has grown significantly since then and delivered around 2000 buses to Europe.

Approximately half of these were delivered to Norway, and all use batteries from CATL.

This is where the connection lies with the establishment of the battery repair center at Skedsmokorset, in partnership with CATL’s subsidiary Ning Service.

Gudmundsson emphasized that operating in the Nordic climate places special demands on battery technology.

“The batteries must function under harsh climatic conditions,” said Gudmundsson during the opening, and went on to discuss CATL’s journey from Icelandic bus manufacturers to European battery partners.

He believes the carbon-neutral service center at Skedsmokorset represents an important milestone in the company’s work in battery analysis, repair, and so-called remanufacturing.

Remanufacturing generally involves assembling new batteries using donor modules from other battery packs.

Willing to Repair Only Self-Produced Batteries

CATL’s global head of quality systems and aftermarket, Bruce Li, began his speech on stage with a smile:

– I’m Bruce. Bruce Li.

Beyond the playful introduction, which clearly referenced the famous Chinese-American martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, there was a clear message:

– Norway plays a key role in the development of today’s battery industry.

Li described Norway as the world’s leader in electrification, noting that no other country has made the transition to electric vehicles as quickly.

He also congratulated Norway on having 98.7 percent electric vehicle ownership in August and highlighted the country’s importance as a testing ground for new technologies.

– I am proud that CATL holds over 40 percent of the market share in batteries for electric vehicles in Norway. Given the wide spread of CATL batteries in their market, it is necessary to build capacity for repairs.

This is where a key limitation exists: the new workshop will initially not repair any batteries other than those produced by CATL itself.

Egzon Bajrani, head of YES-Norway, clarified that customers should be able to extend their battery warranty after it expires, provided the battery is repaired through the company’s systems.

– Importance in a real competitive market

For consumers, the establishment of such services can be highly significant if it leads to more battery repairs and fewer complete battery replacements.

– According to the Electric Vehicle Association, local repair options are a crucial factor for both sustainability and lower costs for vehicle owners. Repairing individual components is much more resource- and cost-effective than replacing entire battery packs, says Ståle Frydenlund, senior advisor in the association’s technical department.

He has been following the battery topic for a year, with a particular focus on battery maintenance in individual vehicles, and believes transparency is crucial if the market is to continue developing.

“Battery manufacturers should make technical information, diagnostic tools, and repair procedures available to independent workshops as much as possible. If repairs are restricted to the manufacturers’ own networks, it can limit competition and keep costs unnaturally high,” says Frydenlund.

His main point is: Increased competition and access to repairs will benefit consumers, at least through lower costs.

A Market in Transition

A central theme in Li’s presentation was how the aftermarket for electric vehicles is changing. The traditional dealership model is under pressure, while a new structure has yet to take shape.

“The old ecosystem is in transition. Ning Service has arrived just in time to be part of this development,” said Li.

He described CATL’s strategy as being closely tied to three main areas: electric vehicles, carbon neutrality, and a circular economy.

The company envisions a future where used batteries go through multiple life cycles before their materials are eventually recycled and reused in the production of new batteries.

“The end of one battery is the beginning of a new one,” said Li.

Another development trend he highlighted is the digitalization of battery servicing. He argued that the industry is moving from experience-based repairs to data-driven processes supported by artificial intelligence.

The goal is to identify damage at the component level rather than replacing entire battery packs.

Ning Service currently has 95 battery repair facilities worldwide, claiming that their so-called “deep repair” model covers 76.8 percent of current battery faults.

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