Beijing show: Breakthrough Chinese LFP battery can add 600km of range in just 10 minutes

Chinese battery-making giant CATL has launched its new Shenxing Plus battery at the Beijing motor show claiming it’s capable of adding as much as 600km of range after a short 10-minute charge and delivering a driving range of more than 1000km.

Impressively, CATL says both those figures are achieved using the cheaper, more stable lithium iron phosphate chemistry (LFP), with the CATL Shenxing Plus battery outperforming many more expensive nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells.

The battery is claimed to be both lighter and more stable in extreme charge/discharge scenarios, which means it’s safer too.

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CATL says the secret to its higher pioneering LFP battery is the 3D honeycomb material used and something called ‘granular gradation’ tech that can place every nanometer particle within the cell in an optimum position.

To ensure far higher charging speeds than any current LFP cell, CATL used new lithium-ion material and redesigned the battery terminals to dissipate as much heat as possible during high-current charging.

Other new features of the Shenxing Plus that boost its efficiency and range are an ultra-high cooling high-voltage box and AI-powered intelligent battery management that ensures the safety and durability of the battery.

There’s no word when and on what vehicle CATL will roll out its Shenxing Plus battery, but it could arrive before the end of this year, with the Chinese battery-maker well aware it will face serious competition from local battery and car-making giant BYD.

BYD says it is already well under way developing its own next-generation ‘Blade 2’ batteries that will also outperform its current tech when it comes to range and charging performance while being significantly cheaper to build.