Spitzenfront | Ningwang bricht die Barrieren zwischen Benzin-, Elektro- und Reichweitenverlängerungssystemen und startet die "Individualisierungszeit" der Batterien.

Before the Shanghai Auto Show, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) demonstrated a series of technological capabilities.

On April 21, CATL held a press conference for the Super Technology Day called "Breaking Boundaries". The three main highlights of this press conference were: the second - generation Shenxing battery, the newly - developed sodium battery, and the Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery.

The second - generation Shenxing battery combines a range of 800 km and a peak charging speed of 12C. If we express 12C in intuitive figures, it means that one can charge enough energy for 75 km in 30 seconds, which is equivalent to 2.5 km per second. This is a strong response from CATL after BYD released its 10C fast - charging function and a proof of CATL's technological capabilities.

But this was just the "appetizer" of the press conference. CATL's CTO Gao Huan finished the product presentation in just a few minutes.

Subsequently, the newly - developed sodium battery officially appeared on the stage. This is a new product from CATL following products such as Qilin, Shenxing, Xiaoyao, and Tianxing.

This product compensates for the weakness of the sodium battery with low energy density and maximizes its cold - performance and charging rate performance.

According to the press conference, CATL's newly - developed sodium battery has an energy density of up to 175 Wh/kg, which can enable a pure electric range of over 500 km and a hybrid range of over 200 km, fully meeting the requirements for daily commuting and short - distance outings.

In addition, the newly - developed sodium battery can achieve that the energy retention of the cell core is still 90% at - 40 °C. The peak charging rate can reach 5C and it will be mass - produced by the end of 2025. That is to say, the arrival of this battery can further penetrate the electric vehicle market north of the Yangtze River.

The impacts of these two products on the automotive industry and private consumers were still predictable. For example, CATL started planning for sodium batteries in 2021 and has now started mass - production for commercial use.

However, the third new product, the Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery, could be a product that leads the technological development of the battery industry and brings significant and long - term benefits to private consumers.

36Kr believes that CATL named this press conference "Breaking Boundaries" because of the launch of the Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery. In the following, 36Kr will elaborate on the innovations of this product and the qualitative changes it can bring to consumers.

The Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery gets an upgrade, with a maximum range of 1500 km

What is a dual - core battery?

CATL divides a battery pack into two independent energy areas, which means that a large battery system contains two small battery systems. The small battery systems use electrodes made of different materials respectively to compensate for the deficiencies of a single - material battery system, thus making the large battery system a "hexagonal warrior".

Here, some people may wonder that in the trend of battery - chassis integration, both automakers and battery companies aim to improve the space utilization of the battery system. However, CATL's dual - core system increases the number of cable harnesses and has no advantages in space utilization. Then how can one ensure the energy density?

This is where the self - generating anode battery technology released together with the Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery comes into play.

According to reports, CATL's self - generating anode battery has increased the volumetric energy density of the battery by 60% and the specific energy density by 50%. Thus, one can configure more charge in the same battery pack space and achieve a longer range.

To develop the self - generating anode battery, several pioneering technologies were applied. For example, when designing the battery anode, CATL created an interface protection layer for lithium metal, which effectively blocks the penetration of reactive components, significantly reduces side - reactions and the consumption of active lithium during storage, greatly improves the storage performance of the anode - less battery, and slows down battery degradation.

In addition to the comprehensive improvement of materials such as the separator and electrolyte, CATL's self - generating anode battery can also ensure high safety and long service life while maintaining the advantage of high specific energy.

Moreover, CATL's self - generating anode battery technology can be flexibly adapted to different material systems. For example, the self - generating anode - less battery of the sodium system can achieve a volumetric energy density of 350 Wh/L; the self - generating anode - less battery of the lithium - iron - phosphate system can achieve a volumetric energy density of 680 - 780 Wh/L; the self - generating anode - less battery of the ternary system can increase the performance of the ternary system by 60% and bring the volumetric energy density to 1000 Wh/L.

CATL showed four main combinations on - site:

Sodium - Iron Dual - Core: Consists of "newly - developed sodium battery + lithium - iron - phosphate self - generating anode battery". It fully utilizes the cold - performance of the newly - developed sodium battery, and the energy retention is still over 90% at - 40 °C. Taking a vehicle with a wheelbase of 2.75 meters as an example, with the Sodium - Iron Dual - Core battery, the total charge can be over 75 kWh and the total range can be over 700 km.

Iron - Iron Dual - Core: Consists of "second - generation Shenxing fast - charging battery + lithium - iron - phosphate self - generating anode battery". It can provide a range of 1000 km for vehicles with a wheelbase of nearly 3 meters. The main energy area can also have a peak charging rate of 12C, and it only takes 7 minutes to charge the battery from 10% to 80% SOC.

Ternary - Iron Dual - Core: Combined with "ternary battery system + lithium - iron - phosphate self - generating anode battery". The ternary battery in the main energy area can deliver a power of up to 1 megawatt. Even when the state of charge is only 20%, it can still deliver a power of over 600 kW, far exceeding the power of a V12 engine. In addition, the main energy area can also reach a peak charging rate of 12C.

Dual - Ternary Dual - Core: Combined with "ternary battery + ternary self - generating anode battery". For a sedan with a wheelbase of 3 meters, the charge can be over 180 kWh and the total range can be over 1500 km.

CATL's Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery has led the battery industry into the "multi - core era". The emergence of this battery is no less significant than the early CTP battery pack structure and is a very important technological innovation. Then what does this battery mean for consumers?

Electric - to - Electric Range Extension, the Beginning of "Your Era"

For a long time, attention has been paid to meeting the individual needs of consumers in automobile exterior and interior design. However, battery products have focused on standardization.

Whether it is the initial cylindrical batteries, the square VDA - sized batteries, the standardized modules, the standardized battery packs, or CATL's Shenxing, Qilin, etc., all are considered from the perspective of standardization.

This time, CATL has broken the traditional battery standardization model and newly developed a dual - core system based on regional needs and consumer needs. This is a unique product in the battery industry.

The dual - core system can also be called a range - extension system.

The range - extension system is called a "range extender" because its core function is to extend the pure electric range of electric vehicles by adding an additional power supply device.

The current common design in the industry is to drive an electric motor with an internal combustion engine. This is also why many people call range - extender vehicles "electric vehicles that rely on the fuel tank".

With the emergence of CATL's Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery, two batteries can charge each other, and it has changed from "gasoline - to - electric range extension" to "electric - to - electric range extension".

In addition, CATL's Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery can intelligently control the distribution strategy of the two energy areas based on the vehicle's driving state and the user's driving habits, thus providing a different driving experience.

The "electric - to - electric range extension" also solves the problem of range anxiety. The maximum range can be 1500 km. More importantly, this product offers consumers more diverse choices, which is equivalent to the beginning of a new era of personalized batteries, that is, the "Your Era" as CATL has always called it.

For example, consumers in northern China can choose the Sodium - Iron Dual - Core battery, and consumers who demand extreme performance can choose the Dual - Ternary Dual - Core battery. Automakers do not need to incur additional costs for battery development and can simply equip vehicle versions as needed.

The Xiaoyao Dual - Core battery is currently a product that only CATL can produce because CATL is involved in many material systems.

Over the years, CATL has developed products in many technological routes such as sodium - ion, lithium - iron - phosphate, M3P, ternary lithium, condensed matter, silicon - carbon system, and self - generating anode battery technology.

This means that the dual - core battery is just the beginning. After CATL proposed this technological concept, in the future, three - core, four - core, and even multi - core battery products will also appear, and consumers can also choose different products according to their driving style and environment.

No single battery system can meet the requirements of all scenarios. Ternary lithium batteries have high energy density but poor safety; lithium - iron - phosphate batteries are safer but have weak cold - performance; sodium batteries have advantages in fast - charging and cold - performance, but their energy density is not satisfactory.

This is also the fundamental reason why CATL is promoting multi - core batteries. To develop a product without weaknesses in all scenarios, one must balance the strengths and weaknesses and combine different product systems to provide consumers with a more comprehensive experience.

While the industry is still dealing with the "debate between gasoline and electricity", CATL has brought the competition to a new level, that is, the batteries "understand" the user. In the future, each battery could be an "exclusive configuration" for different scenarios.

While the attention of most consumers has already focused on intelligentization, CATL has once again proven that the history of batteries is far from over, and the new chapter of breaking technological boundaries is just beginning.