Electric car: Ten minutes for 400 km? CATL Super Fast Charging LFP Battery

Electric car: Ten minutes for 400 km? CATL Super Fast Charging LFP Battery

World market leader CATL presented the Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery today. The Chinese company, which produces more than a third of the traction batteries for electric cars, promises a charging time of ten minutes for a range of 400 kilometers. A value that is not meaningful enough on its own. So, as always with presentations in this branch of industry, it is necessary to take a closer look: what does the announcement of CATL mean in reality?

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CATL begins its own presentation with staged complaints from electric car drivers: The charging speed is said to be too low. Especially when it’s cold. The Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery is intended to offer a solution for both problems, while at the same time safety must be guaranteed.

CATL promises that “400 kilometers of range” can be recharged in ten minutes. If you take a closer look at the presentation, this results in a C-rate of almost 4.

(Image: CATL)

Fast 4C

Only at one point in the lecture does a representative of the Changan car brand briefly mention that a ten-minute charging time means the rise from 20 to 80 percent. Mathematically, this corresponds to a C-rate of 3.6. CATL calls it 4C. With an outside temperature of minus ten degrees, 30 minutes should elapse for the same charge, which is on the level of average current electric cars such as a VW ID.3 – only that the Volkswagen needs ideal conditions to achieve this value.

To explain: 1C means that a battery will be charged from zero to 100 percent in one hour. Very fast and mass-produced electric cars such as those based on the Hyundai e-GMP (test) platform are over 2C.

Improved LFP cell chemistry

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CATL Chief Technology Officer Gao Huan formulates an elementary goal of development: electric cars with high charging speeds must not be reserved for buyers with a lot of money, but must be affordable for the masses. The basis for Shenxing is an improved LFP cell. LFP stands for lithium iron phosphate, a robust and inexpensive chemistry that does not require expensive nickel and cobalt. The slogan: “The world’s first 4C Superfast Charging LFP Battery”.

The CATL Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery works with a further development of the LFP cell chemistry. LFP cells are particularly robust and inexpensive because they do not use expensive nickel and cobalt.

(Image: CATL)

The core of the progress is probably an improvement to the graphite anode: the surface is said to have been modified for better charge transport. With a few exceptions like the Porsche Taycan, electric cars currently have an anode made of pure (and heavy) graphite. There is great and hitherto largely unconsidered potential here for accelerating charging and for higher energy density.

In addition, Gao Huan from CATL complains about a revision of the liquid electrolyte, which is said to have a lower viscosity in the cold, among other things. In addition, the separator film should be more porous and thus also contribute to the result of the higher loading speed without compromising safety.

Series use from 2024

The production of the Shenxing Battery will start at the end of the year. In the first quarter of 2024, electric cars with this new CATL battery will hit the streets.

The core of the improvement is probably a modification to the graphite anode. There is fundamentally great and largely untapped potential here. Also, CATL says the electrolyte and separator have been revised.

(Image: CATL)

In summary, it can be stated that CATL has further developed the LFP cell chemistry, which is extremely important not only from a Chinese perspective because it is inexpensive and durable. Above all, the weaknesses in loading speed should be mitigated by the revision. Just under 4C – i.e. ten minutes for the charging lift to 80 percent – ​​is a strong promise, even if there are still limitations in the cold.

The manageable costs at which the Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery can be manufactured are presumably decisive for its success. The world market leader CATL has the best chance of maintaining its leading position.

CATL’s most important innovations in the overview from left to right: cell-to-pack integration (i.e. waiver of the module level in the system), sodium-ion cells (to be mass-produced this year), 4C-capable Qilin battery system, Condensed matter battery with high volumetric energy density for use in small aircraft.

(Image: CATL)

At the same time, CATL is working on three other important innovations: Production of the first generation of sodium-ion batteries will begin in the course of the year. The complex and also 4C-capable Qilin system is sold in series vehicles such as the Zeekr 001.

In the meantime, the condensed matter battery could be a solution for small aircraft thanks to its high volumetric energy density.

(fpi)

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