CATL unveils a million-mile battery that charges in 12 minutes and lasts the lifetime of the vehicle

The world's biggest battery maker has managed to pair EV battery longevity with fast charging abilities. After the 4C Shenxing battery that can charge 0-80% in 15 minutes was unveiled last year, a new iteration of its chemistry and production method raises the charging speed to 5C while focusing on its lifespan.

Charging speeds

CATL's new 5C battery can be charged in 12 minutes and yet retain at least 80% of its capacity for basically the lifetime of the electric vehicle. It can withstand 1,400 full charge-discharge cycles at 5C speeds in blistering 60°C (120 degrees Fahrenheit) heat, or a whopping 3,000 cycles in balmy 20°C weather.

What this means is that CATL has created the first million-mile EV battery that allows 5C top-ups, which really makes all those coffee-break charging ads come to fruition. It says that the battery can propel an electric vehicle for over 1.8 million km, or about 1.12 million miles, before its capacity drops to 80% of the original.

Lifetime EV battery

Granted, CATL makes this calculation for a 600 km (373-mile) average EV range, which sounds suspiciously high, as it likely represents the local CLTC range testing cycle. It is about a third more generous than the EPA estimates in the US since it includes more city driving.

Even if we account for that difference, though, electric cars with CATL's new long-life battery will be able to cover 750,000 miles before the battery needs to be recycled, basically outlasting the vehicle at the US average annual mileage.

Design and chemistry

Three critical weak points of fast-charging EV batteries have been addressed to reach that level of longevity, tips CATL. First, it made the electrodes self-repairing by mixing the electrolyte with an SEI additive that patches the microcracks appearing during blazing-fast charging sessions. Those cracks leak active lithium and speed up battery capacity degradation.

The cathode coating film has also been made more uniform to limit the number of such cracks, while the separator coating reduces the ion transfer activity when temperatures rise, preventing thermal runaway.

The battery pack design has been improved, too, directing coolant to where it is needed the most at any given time, keeping the cells frosty in any condition, and drastically increasing the pack's lifespan in the process.

15-year battery warranty to spearhead the used EV market

CATL is yet to reveal which automaker will get its new long-life fast-charging batteries, but it recently signed an agreement with NIO for delivering precisely such batteries that can last an EV's lifetime.

NIO and CATL are trying to develop a national EV standard that mandates a 15-year battery warranty that guarantees at least 85% capacity retention, and the technology is already there, it seems. The new million-mile 5C battery by CATL will greatly increase the viability of the second-hand EV market, too, as the main obstacle before buying a used electric car is the lifespan of its battery, especially when fast-charging abilities are involved.

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