CATL claims that its new LFP batteries exceed 400 km of range in 5 minutes of charging, as announced by BYD

The race to achieve ever faster charging has only just begun after BYD surprised everyone in mid-March last year with the presentation of its Super e-platform, which promises charging of passenger electric vehicles at up to one megawatt of power. In other words, the possibility of increasing the vehicle’s range by around 400 km in just five minutes.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, better known by its acronym CATL, did not want to be left behind and, on the eve of the Shanghai Auto Show, which opens this coming Wednesday, 23 April, has made a bold move by promising new batteries that improve charging performance over those of its main competitor, BYD.

CATL’s first major announcement has been the launch of the second generation of its Shenxing batteries with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells. According to the Chinese manufacturer, these new batteries can offer ranges of up to 800 km, with the ability to recover 520 km of range at a charging point in just 5 minutes. That is about 120 km more than those of BYD, which already left us amazed, in the same time. We are therefore looking at batteries with a 12C charging capacity, which allow the vehicle’s range to increase by 12.5 km every second.

These batteries also stand out for their good performance in winter under unfavourable weather conditions. According to CATL, even at -10 degrees Celsius, it is possible to increase the battery’s charge level from 5 to 80 percent in just 15 minutes. Truly surprising.

More range than almost any combustion vehicle

CATL’s announcements did not end there, however. The Chinese company also presented its new Freevoy Dual Power batteries, which integrate two battery packs into one, thus offering a remarkable range of 1,500 kilometres. The technology CATL uses in these new batteries combines a main energy zone with an extended-range battery, using alternative graphite-free anode materials, which optimises their performance and efficiency.

Cold is no longer a problem

Additionally, and in case all of this has seemed a little underwhelming to anyone, CATL has also unveiled a new sodium-ion battery intended for mass production. This battery offers 200 kilometres of range in plug-in hybrids and 500 kilometres in pure electric vehicles, standing out for its outstanding behaviour at sub-zero temperatures. According to the manufacturer, this battery retains 93 percent of its charge at -30 degrees Celsius and requires just 30 minutes to increase the charge level from 30 to 80 percent.

For the moment it is not clear when we will see these innovations in series-production passenger vehicles, but we can safely bet that the first to fit one of these innovative batteries will be models from Chinese brands aimed at the domestic market.