CATL announces solid-state battery production and 600-mile LFP pack that can power EVs for a month

The world's biggest EV battery maker CATL has apparently changed its mind about the timeline of mass solid-state battery production.

Previously, it expressed doubts that this can start before 2030, but now it says that it will be able to produce its own solid-state batteries en masse in 2027, striving for 1% penetration rate.

As always, CATL warned that its solid-state batteries won't be cheap, but its chief scientist Wu Kai pegged 500 Wh/kg energy density as an achievable goal.

This is almost double the energy density of current EV batteries, and CATL said that it has formed a development team of 1,000 engineers who will build on a decade of its own solid-state battery research.

Mr Kai pegged the current state of production readiness for its solid-state battery tech as 4/9, citing manufacturing costs. He, however, predicts that by the time CATL gets around to it in 2027, the level will already be 8/9, meaning that it won't be able to offer solid-state batteries only for affordable EVs.

For mass market electric vehicle produced in higher quantities, however, CATL just detailed a new battery that is the first LFP pack to allow more than a 600-mile range on a charge. The previous iteration of its Shenxing battery was rated for 400+ miles of range, as well as fast charging.

CATL Shenxing Plus 600-mile LFP battery specs

The new Shenxing Plus LFP cell, however, comes with improved energy density of 205 Wh/kg, a record achievement for a battery with the cheaper to make iron phosphate chemistry:

The 1,000-km pure electric range comes from continuous technological breakthroughs. The cathode of Shenxing PLUS is made with a granular gradation technology, which places every nanometer particle in the optimal position to achieve ultra-high compact density. The proprietary 3D honeycomb-shaped material is added to the anode, boosting the energy density while effectively controlling the volume expansion during charge and discharge cycles. The single-piece casing, which is an industry first, optimizes the internal space utilization, allowing the Shenxing PLUS cells to reach an unprecedented energy density level.

The Shenxing batteries will be in more than 50 electric vehicles by year's end, and CATL is also building a fast charging network to take advantage of their specs.

Through "fast lithium-ion conductive coating, the addition of transition metal elements, and new nanometer encapsulation," for instance, the Shenxing Plus packs are able to take about 372 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging.

CATL took some marketing liberties with the distance one can cover if owning a vehicle with the new LFP battery pack. They can travel from Berlin to Paris, it said, or drive around town for a month without charging.

Needless to say, all these range numbers that CATL shared have most likely been tested on the local CLTC cycle. It is about a quarter more generous than the EPA estimate, but even then the range sounds very impressive for any affordable vehicle with LFP battery.

Get the Tesla Universal Wall Connector EV Charger with Dual Plug on Amazon