
A 5-minute charge to go 320 miles. Chinese EV battery giant CATL says its tech is even better than Tesla-killer BYD’s
CNN
China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest producer of electric vehicle batteries, has unveiled an upgraded battery that promises an even longer range than rival BYD’s cutting-edge technology.
China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), the world’s largest producer of electric vehicle batteries, has unveiled an upgraded battery it says promises an even longer range than rival BYD’s cutting-edge technology. Both tech giants now boast they have batteries that can charge EVs in as little as five minutes. But on Monday, CATL upped the ante by announcing that its new Shenxing battery has a range of 320 miles, about 70 miles longer than BYD’s stated range of 250 miles. By comparison, Tesla’s Superchargers lag way behind by delivering 200 miles of range in a 15-minute charge. “Once again, we are pushing the boundaries of performance beyond limits,” CATL’s Chief Technology Officer Gao Huan said at the company’s Tech Day in Shanghai. “Our goal is to make the CATL Shenxing supercharging battery the standard for electric vehicles, bringing users a more convenient and freer travel experience,” he added. CATL’s innovation was announced just a month after BYD shocked the EV industry with its own agenda-setting launch. The dueling tech underscores the intense competition taking place in China’s EV sector, which is fueling relentless innovation at low prices. The upgraded Shenxing, which has a full battery capacity of 500 miles, was launched alongside a new sodium-ion battery, Naxtra, which CATL touted as a more affordable and safer alternative to lithium and lead-acid based batteries.