Chinese electric vehicle battery giant CATL revealed another breakthrough that claims to optimize charging efficiency, particularly in cold weather.
CATL’s Chief Scientist Wu Kai proudly announced the battery tech advancement at the recent Shanghai forum, saying that the company invented new electrolyte materials that substantially enhance existing li-ion batteries’ charging efficiency.
What’s the big deal?
Scientist Wu Kai omitted to share how the power battery tech leader discovered the new electrolyte materials. He focused on discussing the technology’s key features, including its ability to offer a 43% efficiency improvement during optimal temperatures. More interestingly, it could deliver a 50% increase in efficiency even in extreme cold temperatures, specifically below 20 degrees Celsius.
This development is undoubtedly a big deal in the electric vehicle industry. It is widely known that cold temperatures, especially during winter, adversely affect the batteries. Cold temperatures force the batteries to exert extra effort to heat an EV, reducing driving range.
Apart from these remarkable improvements in current li-ion battery designs, Scientist Wu Kai further asserted that the company could commercialize a battery technology that supports a 400 km driving range in just 10 minutes of charging.
However, CATL has no plans to stop pushing for the battery technology’s boundaries. Scientist Wu Kai announced that the company would further reduce the 10-minute charging time to just seven minutes for the same 400 km driving range.
See Also:
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- EV battery market grew 71.8% in 2022, CATL remained unbeatable
- CATL and UL Solutions are advancing battery safety and efficiency
Power batteries, apart from the charging infrastructures, are arguably crucial for the wide adoption of electric vehicles. That said, many industry players are racing to develop the most competitive battery tech that addresses the most common issue with EVs – driving range.
True enough, Japanese legacy automaker Toyota also recently announced that it has successfully developed a battery tech that reduces costs and weight by 50% and can charge in just 10 minutes or even less.
