As NEV sales in China account for over half of the overall automobile sales, the importance of EV batteries and how quickly they charge have become even more crucial. Now using the 2024 Beijing Auto Show stage, Chinese battery giant CATL has announced its new state-of-the-art Shenxing Plus battery.
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The Shenxing Plus’s energy density of 205 Wh/kg is a crucial number. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are less expensive and safer than other battery types, hence automakers have been using them in their less expensive cars. In terms of energy density, they fell short of NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) batteries. This meant that, despite LFP being purportedly safer, the only way to provide a longer range while minimizing battery weight was to use the more costly NMC. Now Shenxing Plus’s 205 Wh/kg is a comparable energy density to several NMC batteries.
CATL has applied a self-developed 3D honeycomb material to improve the energy density of the anode and control the expansion of the charging and discharging volume. Also aiding the space utilization is CTB 3.0 (cell to body) technology which gives the battery an integrated shell structure, and volume efficiency is increased by 7%.
CATL claims the new battery can enable cars to have a 1,000 km CLTC range CLTC. The Shenxing Plus is a 4C battery meaning that the charging multiplier is four times. A ten-minute charge can add a 600 km range and 1 km can be added in a second. The current Shenxing battery can add 400 km in 10 minutes so the new Plus version is a significant improvement.
According to CATL, features such as an ultra-high cooling efficiency high-voltage box, and AI intelligent Battery Management System (BMS) algorithm help ensure the safety of the battery. Bear in mind that CATL can produce a battery cell in one second in the company’s lighthouse factories.
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