Tesla supplier reveals battery with 1000km of range, super-fast charging

CATL, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery supplier, has revealed a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery boasting some impressive specs.

The company claims the Shenxing Plus is the world’s first LFP battery capable of a range above 1000km, thanks to energy density of 205Wh/kg.

It also says it’s the first LFP battery with 4C superfast charging, promising 600km of added range in just 10 minutes of charging – enough, CATL claims, for a charging speed of one kilometre per second.

That’s up from the claim of 400km of range from a 10-minute charge for the Shenxing battery revealed only last year, which was claimed to allow a vehicle to travel over 700km on a single full charge.

The battery giant says these advancements are the result of continuous technological breakthroughs, including a single-piece casing it says is an industry first.

The Shenxing Plus battery uses module-free CTP 3.0 (cell-to-pack) technology.

The cathode of the battery is made with granular gradation technology to achieve the compact density, with energy density boosted through the use of CATL’s proprietary 3D honeycomb-shaped material on the anode.

CATL says it has achieved the super-fast charging speeds through the use of technologies like lithium-ion conductive coating and the addition of transition metal elements, also promising smoother and more efficient energy transmission between cathode and anode materials.

In announcing the Shenxing Plus battery, CATL also said it plans to launch a Shenxing Superfast Charging Network and a superfast charging vehicle owners club in China, providing owners with roadside rescue, battery inspection and maintenance.

CATL, which supplies brands like Tesla, Geely and Mercedes-Benz, made these announcements during a particularly EV-heavy Beijing motor show.

It follows a recent report BYD’s battery subsidiary FinDreams has developed a new-generation Blade LFP battery with an energy density of 190 Wh/kg.