CATL unveils super fast charging battery

The Chinese battery manufacturer CATL will produce an extremely fast-charging electric-car-battery from the end of the year. The so-called "Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery" will be able to absorb enough energy for up to 400 kilometers of driving within 10 minutes, CATL announced. In total, the battery should be able to cover a range of more than 700 kilometers. It is not yet clear which electric car manufacturers will be supplied with the batteries. However, the first electric cars should be on the road by the beginning of 2024.

The batteries are lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which is considered relatively inexpensive compared to conventional nickel technology. Although LFP technology is fundamentally less powerful than the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NCM) cells commonly used in modern electric cars, it is robust and comparatively inexpensive. Such batteries have been gaining ground in electric cars for some time, especially in entry-level models. CATL now wants to advance the technology.    

Unlike previous LFP batteries, Shenxing batteries can be charged quickly over a wide temperature range. At room temperature, the battery can be charged to 80 percent of its capacity in up to 10 minutes. Optimum operating temperature is reached quickly. For example, at a temperature of -10°C, the battery can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in 30 minutes, according to CATL. The technology is also said to enable acceleration from 0-100 km/h even at low temperatures.  

CATL at the IAA MOBILITY 2023.   

CATL will also be present at IAA MOBILITY 2023 from September 5-10, 2023, where it will showcase its most innovative battery products.