March 25 (Reuters) - Chinese electric-vehicle battery

maker CATL is in talks with Tesla and other

unnamed automakers to license its battery technology in the U.S.

instead of building its own plant there, the Wall Street Journal

reported on Monday.

The scale of cooperation and details about what technology

Tesla would license from CATL are still being discussed and will

depend on the EV maker's cash flow, the report said, citing an

interview with CATL Chairman Robin Zeng.

The Chinese company's existing partnership with Ford Motor ( F )

will be the model for similar cooperation with other U.S.

carmakers, the report added.

Ford said in November it would scale back the investment for

its Michigan battery plant to produce low-cost lithium-iron

batteries based on technology licensed by CATL following

pushback from U.S. lawmakers.

The WSJ report on CATL comes amid a global slowdown in EV

demand and as U.S. lawmakers tighten their grip over the battery

industry to prevent China-produced minerals or Chinese battery

companies from winning electric vehicle tax credits.

Ford, CATL and Tesla did not immediately respond to Reuters

requests for comment.

CATL is also working on faster charging batteries for Tesla

and supplying machinery to the Elon Musk-led company's factory

in Nevada, according to an interview Bloomberg News had with

Zeng.

Zeng had told reporters earlier this month that the company

was in discussions to set up research and development centers in

Hong Kong to create new technologies that can be licensed abroad

as domestic EV demand weakens.