The revolutionary battery that will charge your electric car in 10 minutes is closer than ever

The Chinese giant CATL has not finished talking about him. During a live-streamed conference, he gave news of his future revolutionary battery that charges faster than lightning. Good news: the schedule is visibly respected.

Just a month ago, we told you about the famous battery that will recharge in just 10 minutes, produced by CATL. As always with electric vehicles, between announcements and reality, there is sometimes a chasm. However, the manufacturer seems to keep its promises as well as the schedule.

An LFP battery that may arrive in your next electric car

Among the lithium-ion battery chemistries that have been popular in recent months, we find LFP (lithium – iron – phosphate) batteries. Devoid of cobalt – which is always frowned upon for ethical and ecological reasons – these LFP batteries have the additional advantage of being less expensive to produce.

And who says cheaper to buy, ultimately says a more contained price for the consumer. This is why we often find LFP batteries in entry-level models, as is the case with Tesla with its Model 3 and Model Y Propulsion, for example.

Moreover, the American giant supplies batteries to CATL, even if more recently another manufacturer by the name of BYD begins to interfere in the vehicles of the firm of Elon Musk.

CATL has therefore just confirmed the initial schedule, – via Reuters – and ensures that mass production is scheduled for the end of 2023. From the beginning of next year, the revolutionary batteries should equip electric vehicles available on the market.

All the advantages, without the disadvantages

Some drivers of electric vehicles equipped with LFP batteries recognize the few drawbacks of this technology, starting with its poorer tolerance to extreme temperatures.

This is why CATL’s announcement, which promises exceptional cold resistance, makes a strong impression, since this would amount to retaining the advantages of LFP batteries (low degradation, longevity, cost) without its main drawback.

Additionally, CATL announced that fast charging could reach 4C, which means that the maximum power allowed on a fast charging station is four times greater than the capacity of the battery.

In practice, a 60 kWh battery would then accept a charge at 240 kW. For comparison, a Tesla Model Y Propulsion with a 60 kWh LFP battery from CATL today charges at a maximum output of 175 kW, less than 3C.

The Tesla Model Y Propulsion equipped with BYD batteries (coming from the Gigafactory in Berlin and not Shanghai) charge at a maximum of 180 kW, which is still far from 4C as CATL promises.