CATL, the world's largest battery manufacturer, has announced a major breakthrough in energy density. The new battery is also crucial for aviation, in addition to automobiles.
As one of the most
important battery advancements in recent years, CATL announced a new
"condensed" battery with a density of 500 Wh/kg, which it said will
go into production this year. The launch of the new battery is expected to
revolutionize sea, land, and air transportation.
CATL doubles the
standards
CATL's new condensed
battery will have almost twice the energy density of Tesla's 4680 cells, which
are considered very high by current standards at 272-296 Wh/kg. The company
said in a presentation at Auto Shanghai that "the introduction of
condensed batteries will initiate the universal electrification of sea, land,
and air transportation, provide more opportunities for the industry's
development, and promote the achievement of global carbon-neutral targets at an
earlier date."
The new battery uses
biomimetic condensed-state electrolytes with high conductivity to increase the
conductivity performance of cells and therefore the efficiency of lithium-ion
transport. This increases not only performance and efficiency but also the
stability of the microstructure.
Not just for cars, but
also important for aviation
CATL says that the new
batteries use innovations in "ultra-high-energy-density cathode materials,
innovative anode materials, separators, and production processes" to
increase performance, efficiency, and stability. CATL also says they will offer
"excellent charging and discharging performance as well as high
reliability."
The company also says it has already partnered with electric aircraft
companies to meet aviation-grade safety and quality standards. CATL plans to
start mass production and use the products in cars by the end of the year. The
specifications of the mass-produced version may differ from the product
announced. However, we have seen many new battery technologies promising high
density in recent years, but few have actually been released as products. It is
exciting to hear about a similar breakthrough from the world's largest battery
manufacturer, CATL.