As you know, electric vehicle batteries “suffer” from low temperatures. During winter periods, autonomy tends to drop significantly and recharging performance deteriorates. It is for this reason that much work is being done to reduce these problems. From the looks of it, CATL seems to have found a solution. In fact, the Chinese company has signaled that it has developed a new technology that can significantly improve battery performance at low temperatures.
So far, CATL has provided only a few first details about what it has developed. Wu KaiChief Scientist at CATL, said they were developed new electrolytic materials which can greatly improve the charging efficiency of current batteries. Without going into details, Wu Kai emphasized that the new electrolyte can improve efficiency 50% in extreme cold conditions (-20 degrees) and 43% in less extreme conditions.
Unfortunately, we don’t know if the technology is still ready or if it will soon appear in the batteries that CATL already produces for car manufacturers. Either way, this is exciting news and highlights how research is driving batteries to evolve rapidly, constantly improving their performance. We hope to learn more about this novelty developed by CATL.
At the same time, the Chinese company expected that by the end of 2023 it would be able to mass-produce a battery capable of providing 400 km of battery life (the data probably refers to the CLTC cycle) with a recharge in just 10 minutes. The future goal of CATL is to reduce the reload time to 5-7 minutes.
Wu Kai also talked about solid state batteries in which several car manufacturers invest. In this regard, we recall that, for example, Toyota recently announced that it had overcome some problems that would allow production of these batteries to begin in 2027.
CATL’s chief scientist said he was skeptical about the readiness of solid-state batteries for mass production.
What I’m sure of is that no one is currently able to mass-produce solid-state batteries.
Source: HD Motori
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.