CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery supplier, has revealed a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery boasting some impressive specs.
The company claims the Shenxing Plus is the world’s first LFP battery capable of a range above 1000km, thanks to energy density of 205Wh/kg.
It also says it’s the first LFP battery with 4C superfast charging, promising 600km of added range in just 10 minutes of charging – enough, CATL claims, for a charging speed of one kilometre per second.
That’s up from the claim of 400km of range from a 10-minute charge for the Shenxing battery revealed only last year, which was claimed to allow a vehicle to travel over 700km on a single full charge.
The battery giant says these advancements are the result of continuous technological breakthroughs, including a single-piece casing it says is an industry first.
The Shenxing Plus battery uses module-free CTP 3.0 (cell-to-pack) technology.
The cathode of the battery is made with granular gradation technology to achieve the compact density, with energy density boosted through the use of CATL’s proprietary 3D honeycomb-shaped material on the anode.
CATL says it has achieved the super-fast charging speeds through the use of technologies like lithium-ion conductive coating and the addition of transition metal elements, also promising smoother and more efficient energy transmission between cathode and anode materials.
Gao Huan, CTO of CATL’s China E-car division
In announcing the Shenxing Plus battery, CATL also said it plans to launch a Shenxing Superfast Charging Network and a superfast charging vehicle owners club in China, providing owners with roadside rescue, battery inspection and maintenance.
CATL, which supplies brands like Tesla, Geely and Mercedes-Benz, made these announcements during a particularly EV-heavy Beijing motor show.
It follows a recent report BYD’s battery subsidiary FinDreams has developed a new-generation Blade LFP battery with an energy density of 190 Wh/kg.
