Latest CATL battery can add 600km of EV range in 10min

CATL has announced its new Shenxing Plus battery will be capable of adding as much as 600km of EV range in just 10 minutes, despite relying on cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

That’s up from 400km range over the same timeframe announced by CATL in August last year.

According to the Chinese battery giant, which supplies car-makers such as Tesla, Volkswagen, Ford and BMW, the Shenxing Plus could offer a driving range of more than 1000km for most electric cars on a full charge.

To get there, the battery features a pioneering 3D honeycomb material for the anode, which combines with next-generation ‘granular gradation’ tech that allows every nanometre particle to be positioned in an optimal position within the cell to maximise energy density.

The result is the CATL Shenxing Plus delivers energy density comparable to many more expensive nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries.

Giving it much higher charging speeds than current LFP batteries, CATL has employed new lithium-ion conductive coating and redesigned the battery terminals to dissipate as much heat as possible during high-current charging.

Better still, the CATL battery is lighter and more stable in extreme charging or discharging, which means it’s safer too.

It also features an ultra-high-cooling high-voltage box and AI-assisted battery management to improve safety and durability.

CATL has yet to reveal a production timetable for the Shenxing Plus, but manufacturing should get underway before the end of this year.

BYD is also expected to launch its second-generation ‘Blade’ battery later this year, which might even overtake CATL’s Shenxing Plus for range and charging speed.

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