CATL unveils super-long range EV battery

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, the world's largest vehicle battery maker, unveiled its upgraded fast-charging, super-long range electric vehicle battery at the 2024 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition on Thursday.

The lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP), Shenxing Plus, is able to power a journey of 600 kilometers after a mere 10-minute charge. LFP batteries are environmentally friendlier and cheaper than the lithium-ion batteries more commonly used in EVs.

Gao Huan, chief technology officer of CATL's e-car business, said the upgraded battery is able to power 1,000 km on a full charge, which means a trip from Beijing to Nanjing, Jiangsu province, is possible without recharging on the road.

The move comes just months after the company launched its fast-charging battery able to deliver a driving range of 400 km with a 10-minute charge in August.

Gao said: "Through breakthroughs in materials and structure, the battery's energy density surpasses the 200 watt hours per kilogram threshold for the first time, reaching 205 Wh/kg. Such a latest generation of battery has already been used in four car models, and will be equipped for more than 50 types of vehicles by the end of this year."

CATL also announced on Thursday it would build the largest superfast charging service platform in China, by collaborating with industry-leading partners like Star Charge, YKC and Shudao New Energy, to offer cost-effective mobility experience for more users.

It also pledged to launch the industry's first superfast charging vehicle owners club with over 600 service outlets covering 31 provincial-level regions to provide users with roadside rescues, battery inspections and maintenance, and other services.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, said in a separate interview that China's momentum in the clean energy sector and the entire industry chains for new energy vehicles, photovoltaics and wind power, have offered "practical, cost-effective and mutually beneficial solutions" for global green transformation.

Regarding accusations by some Western countries that China has so-called overcapacity problems, Lin said that such talk will only have a negative impact on the world's green energy transition.

"China's clean energy technologies are as advanced as those of developed countries, and practical cooperation between China and other countries will boost technological advances," Lin added.