Chinese EV battery giant CATL claims it has cracked the code on ultra-fast charging without wrecking long-term battery health. If true, this breakthrough could eliminate one of the biggest pain points holding electric vehicles back.
In a video released late January, the battery maker unveiled its latest 5C lithium-ion battery, which is designed to handle ultra-fast charging without having a significant effect on long-term battery health. According to Inside EVs, the company claims the 5C battery can retain 80% of its original capacity after 1,400 charge cycles at an operating temperature of 140°F (60°C), translating to roughly 522,000 miles of use.
The battery can reportedly perform even better at a milder ambient temperature of 68°F (20°C), retaining 80% capacity even after 3,000 charge cycles, which equates to around 1.12 million miles of use. That’s far beyond what most current EV battery packs can manage, and enough to outlast many vehicles themselves.
How CATL says it pulled it off
CATL says these improvements were made possible by implementing a denser, more uniform cathode coating that slows degradation, a proprietary electrolyte additive that heals microcracks, and a temperature-responsive separator that migrates heat-induced stress. The company has also upgraded the battery management system, which can now actively cool hotspots to keep charging stress in check.
For now, CATL hasn’t said when these batteries will hit production vehicles or how they’ll perform in the real world. Lab figures often differ from how batteries behave in everyday conditions, but if the company’s claims hold up outside the lab, fast charging without a battery health penalty could finally stop being a trade-off for EV buyers.