Chinese battery giant CATL officially unveiled its newest innovation, “Condensed Battery,” at the Shanghai Auto Show on April 19, 2023.
CATL claims this cutting-edge battery tech is safe and strong enough to power an electric passenger aircraft.
What’s currently known about the CATL’s new battery tech?
CATL announced that the new battery will offer an astounding 500Wh/Kg energy density, about two times higher than Tesla’s 4680 battery technology (270Wh/Kg).
The battery is apparently a semi-solid state type that contains the combination of the following innovations:
- new high-energy cathode and anode
- enhanced isolation films
- “micron-scale adaptive mesh structure”
Unfortunately, CATL Chief Scientist Wu Kai did not go into much detail about the direct effect of these innovations on the battery’s energy density.
Nonetheless, CATL explained that most of these innovations are designed to control internal chemical reactions that would otherwise get out of hand when under high energy loads.
Reports suggest that this new battery can potentially deliver a range of 600 miles to 700 miles between charges.
Another exciting news is that the Chinese battery company aims to start volume production in late 2023. For now, CATL has partnered with yet-to-be-announced partners to guarantee that the condensed battery’s safety and quality would qualify for aviation use, Wu said.
See Also:
- CATL starts mass production of upgraded Qilin battery in China
- CATL explores EV battery technology without lithium, other companies outpaced it
- EV battery market leader CATL reported shares decline in January, BYD increases
- EV battery market grew 71.8% in 2022, CATL remained unbeatable
- CATL and UL Solutions are advancing battery safety and efficiency
Indeed, these technological advancements would aid CATL in achieving its 2025 carbon neutrality target across its battery production plants. The goal expands to its battery value chain by 2035.
CATL’s stock price was RMB 412.25 (about $60) as of 14:00 on April 19, while its market value was RMB 1.01 trillion (USD 146.5 billion).
