Chinese battery supplier CATL has launched what it’s calling the world’s first 4C super-fast charging lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, claimed to provide 400km of range from a 10-minute charge.
The company also claims the battery will also allow a vehicle to travel over 700km on a single full charge.
CATL supplies companies such as Tesla, Geely, Fisker, Mercedes-Benz, SAIC Motor and more recently Chery with batteries for their electric cars.
This new battery named Shenxing is expected to go into production by the end of 2023 and be available for EVs as early as the first quarter of 2024.
At room temperature, CATL says the Shenxing battery can charge to 80 per cent in 10 minutes.
For drivers who are charging in temperatures as low as -10°C, CATL’s cell temperature control technology allows a 0-80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.
According to CATL, Shenxing also provides “uncompromised 0-100 kph acceleration performance at low temperatures”.
To achieve this range and level of charging performance, CATL says the Shenxing battery uses a combination of its latest fast-ion ring and super electronic network cathode technology, a new superconducting electrolyte formula, and fully nano-crystallized LFP cathode material.
CATL says its latest technology is intended to combat range anxiety and “open up an era of EV super-fast charging”.
“As EV consumers shift from pioneering users to ordinary users, we should make advanced technology accessible for all and enable everyone to savour the fruits of innovation,” said CATL chief scientist Dr. Wu Kai.
Thousands of vehicles with CATL batteries can be found on roads around the globe, and the company is also looking to the skies.
In May 2023 CATL revealed a new battery technology that was energy-dense enough to be used on a passenger aircraft.
An automotive version of the technology was under development at the time of the announcement in May with production expected to begin sometime in 2023.