China - One of CATL's three new battery technologies enables electric vehicles to travel 1,500 km on a single charge.
Chinese battery maker CATL unveiled three new battery technologies at an event on April 21 that could change the game between pure electric and hybrid vehicles.
Freevoy Dual Power battery: challenging hybrids with a range of 1,500 km
The most important announcement is the Freevoy Dual Power battery with a dual-core architecture, achieving a maximum range of over 1,500 km on a single charge. This allows pure electric vehicles to compete directly with hybrid models.
The dual-core design divides a battery into two independent energy zones, with a main zone and a range-extending zone. Each zone uses different battery materials to promote its own advantages. This revolutionary approach deploys dual core systems that manage thermal, thermal, structural, high voltage and low voltage control to ensure safety, similar to the redundancy concept in dual engine aircraft designs.
CATL pioneers self-emitting cathode battery technology in the range-extending area, eliminating the traditional graphite material used for the cathode. This innovation allows for a significant increase in energy density.
"This technology represents a fundamental shift in how we approach the range limitations of electric vehicles," explained a CATL representative, adding that "By combining two distinct battery technologies in one package, we can optimize both performance and range-extending capabilities."
Second-generation Shenxing super-fast charging battery: 520 km in 5 minutes
CATL also introduced the second-generation Shenxing super-fast charging battery, pushing the boundaries of charging speed with remarkable specifications. The new battery offers a range of 800 km and has a maximum charging rate of nearly 12C with a maximum charging power exceeding 1.3 MW.
In practical terms, this equates to an additional 2.5 km of range per second of charging, allowing the vehicle to add more than 520 km of range in just 5 minutes when connected to compatible MW charging stations.
The battery maintains its charging speed even in extreme conditions. At -10°C, the battery can charge from 5% to 80% in just 15 minutes. Even when nearly empty, the battery can still deliver 830 kW of power output.
This is a significant step forward from the first-generation Shenxing battery introduced in 2023, which was also the world's first LFP battery capable of 4C super-fast charging, providing 400 km of range in just 10 minutes of charging.
Industry’s first mass-produced sodium-ion battery: unaffected by extreme cold
CATL’s sodium-ion battery is scheduled for mass production in December this year and is compatible with both hybrid and electric vehicles.
Sodium-ion batteries have the highest energy density in the industry at 175 Wh/kg, enabling hybrids to achieve an all-electric range of over 200 km and pure electric vehicles to achieve a range of over 500 km. The battery supports 5C ultra-fast charging and has a cycle life of 10,000 charges.
CATL has proven that sodium-ion technology delivers safety performance that far exceeds that of traditional lithium batteries through rigorous testing, including multi-sided compression, needle puncture, electric drill, and saw puncture – all without causing an explosion.
The technology addresses one of the most important pain points for electric vehicle owners: cold-weather performance. While lithium batteries typically suffer from significant range loss and capacity limitations in winter conditions, CATL’s sodium-ion batteries maintain outstanding performance in cold weather conditions.
Tests have shown that at -30°C, the battery can be charged from 30% to 80% in just 30 minutes while maintaining 93% of its usable capacity. Even with only 10% charge, the vehicle can still maintain a highway speed of 120 km/h.
In addition, the battery continues to provide charging and discharging capabilities even in extreme conditions of -40°C. The vehicle can maintain a highway speed of 120 km/h even when the battery is at 0% charge - a feat previously impossible with conventional lithium-ion technology.