CATL battery boosts Tesla range by 400km in just 10 minutes

author: FutureCar Staff    

CATL, the Chinese battery giant and a major supplier to Tesla, has introduced its latest product aimed at resolving the charging and range limitations of electric vehicles. During a launch briefing on Wednesday, Gao Han, chief technology officer of CATL's e-car division, revealed that the battery, named Shenxing or "god-like movement," is capable of providing up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) of range in just 10 minutes of charging.

This means that vehicles powered by Shenxing can travel from New York to Boston, a distance of approximately 215 miles, after only 10 minutes of fast charging. The battery is expected to enter mass production by the end of 2023 and shipping is planned to commence in 2024.

Shenxing is being marketed as the world's first 4C superfast charging LFP battery. LFP stands for lithium iron phosphate, a battery chemistry that Tesla widely adopted in 2021 for its shorter-range cars, replacing nickel-cobalt-aluminum. This technology has been championed by CATL, a renewable energy leader in China, which currently holds a 35% share of the global EV battery market in Q1, according to research firm SNE. Although LFP batteries have lower energy density compared to other chemistries, they are known for their affordability and chemical stability.

CATL's remarkable growth has been driven by the surge in the Chinese EV market in recent years. However, as government subsidies decrease and the post-COVID economic downturn affects consumer spending, the EV industry is experiencing a slowdown. Additionally, CATL faces stiff competition from BYD, another Chinese EV giant that manufactures its own batteries. In Q1, BYD held the second position in the global EV battery market with a 16.2% share.

FutureCar Staff