CATL battery boosts Tesla range

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【Summary】Chinese battery giant CATL has unveiled Shenxing, a new battery that can add up to 400km (250 miles) of range in just 10 minutes of fast charging. The battery, expected to be in mass production by the end of 2023, is claimed to be the world's first 4C superfast charging LFP battery. CATL, a major supplier to Tesla, aims to address electric vehicles' charging and range limitations with this new technology.

FutureCar Staff Aug 25, 2023 10:10 AM PT

CATL, the Chinese battery giant and a major supplier to Tesla, has introduced its latest product aimed at addressing the charging and range limitations of electric vehicles. The battery, named Shenxing or "god-like movement," has the ability to recharge up to 400 kilometers (250 miles) of range in just 10 minutes. Gao Han, the chief technology officer of CATL's e-car division, made this announcement during a launch briefing on Wednesday.

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. Mass production of the battery is expected to commence by the end of 2023, with shipping scheduled to begin in 2024.

Shenxing is being touted 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 instead of nickel-cobalt-aluminum.

China has been a strong advocate for LFP technology, which has been spearheaded by its renewable energy champion, CATL. According to research firm SNE, CATL currently leads the global EV battery market with a 35% share in Q1. LFP batteries are known for their affordability and chemical stability, although they have a lower energy density compared to other battery chemistries, which affects the range of electric vehicles.

CATL's impressive growth has been driven by the surge in demand for electric vehicles in China over the past few years. However, the EV industry is now slowing down as government subsidies decrease and consumption contracts due to the post-COVID economic downturn. Furthermore, CATL faces fierce competition from BYD, the Chinese EV giant that also manufactures its own batteries. In Q1, BYD followed CATL in second place, holding a 16.2% share of the global EV battery market.