CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, revealed this week that it has created new lithium-ion battery materials that would significantly enhance charging efficiency for electric vehicles, particularly in cold weather.
The secret, according to Wu Kai, CATL’s Chief scientist, is novel electrolyte materials produced by the business but did not explain how CATL achieved the higher battery performance. He claimed that the new electrolyte might enhance efficiency by 50% in extreme cold (minus 20 degrees Celsius) and 43% in more usual conditions.
CATL will mass produce a battery capable of 400 kilometers of driving range with a 10-minute charge time by the end of 2023, in addition to addressing cold weather performance. From there, the company will ratchet up its target to a charge time of 5–7 minutes for a similar range.
These days, there’s a ton of buzz about battery improvements. It’s possible that there are other companies, besides CATL, who are all set to introduce next-level batteries that have longer lifespans, cover more distance, charge quicker, and perform better in the cold. Automakers must be in a real dilemma trying to figure out where to get their hands on these batteries for their electric cars.
It’s starting to feel like the good old days of computers when faster processors were coming out all the time, making the ones people bought in the morning outdated by the afternoon. But don’t worry, this is great news for electric vehicle fans. The electric cars of next year and the year after will have a huge improvement in battery technology. The electric vehicle revolution is just beginning and things are about to get really exciting 😉
Reference- Reuters, CATL website, Interesting Engineering, Washington Post, Popular Science