Frontline | CATL Breaks the Boundaries of Gasoline, Electric, and Range - Extended Powertrains and Ushered in the "Personalized Era" of Batteries

On the eve of the Shanghai Auto Show, CATL demonstrated its technological strength.

On April 21st, CATL held a Super Technology Day press conference named "Boundary Awakening". There were three protagonists at this press conference: the second - generation Shenxing Battery, the Na - New Battery, and the Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery.

The second - generation Shenxing Battery combines a range of 800 km and a peak charging rate of 12C. In intuitive data, 12C means that it can replenish 75 km of energy in 30 seconds, equivalent to 2.5 km per second. This is a strong counter - attack from CATL after BYD released its 10C flash - charging technology, and it also proves CATL's technological strength.

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

Subsequently, the Na - New Battery made its official debut. This is a brand - new product launched by CATL after products such as the Qilin, Shenxing, Xiaoyao, and Tianxing.

This product not only makes up for the low energy density of sodium batteries but also maximizes their low - temperature performance and rate performance.

According to the press conference, the energy density of CATL's Na - New Battery is as high as 175 Wh/kg, which can bring a pure - electric range of over 500 km and a hybrid range of over 200 km, fully meeting the needs of daily commuting and short - distance outings.

In addition, the Na - New Battery can maintain a cell energy retention rate of 90% in a - 40°C environment, and its peak charging rate can reach 5C. It will be mass - produced by the end of 2025. That is to say, the arrival of this battery will allow new energy vehicles to penetrate further north of the Yangtze River.

The impact of these two products on the automotive industry and individual consumers is still within expectations. For example, CATL started to layout sodium batteries as early as 2021, and now it has begun large - scale commercialization.

The third new product, the Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery, may be a product that leads the technological trend of the power battery industry and brings more significant and long - term benefits to individual consumers.

36Kr believes that the reason why CATL named this press conference "Boundary Awakening" lies in the advent of the Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery. Next, 36Kr will elaborate on the innovation of this product and the qualitative changes it can bring to consumers.

The New Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery: Up to 1500 km of Range

What is a dual - core battery?

CATL divides a battery pack into two independent energy zones, which is equivalent to a large battery system containing two small battery systems. The small battery systems use cells made of different materials to make up for the deficiencies of a single - material battery system, thus making the large battery system a well - rounded performer.

Some people may wonder here that in the trend of battery - chassis integration, car manufacturers and battery companies are all committed to improving the space utilization rate of the battery system. However, CATL's dual - core system increases the number of wiring harnesses and does not have an advantage in space utilization. So how can it ensure the energy density?

This relies on the self - generating anode battery technology jointly released with the Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery.

According to the introduction, CATL's self - generating anode battery increases the volumetric energy density by 60% and the gravimetric energy density by 50%. Therefore, it can configure more power in the same battery pack space, bringing a longer range.

To create the self - generating anode battery, multiple pioneering technologies have been applied. For example, in the design of the battery anode, CATL has created an interface protection layer for lithium metal, effectively blocking the penetration of active components, significantly reducing the side - reaction consumption of active lithium during storage, greatly improving the storage performance of the anode - free battery, and slowing down the battery's attenuation.

Coupled with the all - around improvement of materials such as the separator and electrolyte, CATL's self - generating anode battery can maintain high specific energy advantages while also taking into account high safety and long life.

In addition, CATL's self - generating anode technology can be flexibly adapted to various material systems. For example, the volumetric energy density of the sodium - system self - generating anode - free battery can reach 350 Wh/L; the volumetric energy density of the lithium iron phosphate system self - generating anode - free battery can reach 680 - 780 Wh/L; the ternary system self - generating anode - free battery can even boost the performance of the ternary system by 60%, with the volumetric energy density reaching up to 1000 Wh/L.

CATL demonstrated four main combinations on - site:

Na - Fe Dual - Core: Composed of the "Na - New Battery + Lithium Iron Phosphate Self - Generating Anode Battery", it fully utilizes the low - temperature performance of the Na - New Battery, with an energy retention rate of over 90% in a - 40°C environment. Taking a vehicle with a wheelbase of 2.75 meters as an example, when equipped with the Na - Fe Dual - Core Battery, the overall power can exceed 75 kWh, and the comprehensive range can exceed 700 km.

Fe - Fe Dual - Core: Composed of the "Second - Generation Shenxing Ultra - Fast Charging Battery + Lithium Iron Phosphate Self - Generating Anode Battery", it can provide a range of 1000 km for vehicles with a wheelbase close to 3 meters. The main energy zone can also have a peak charging experience of 12C, and it only takes 7 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% SOC.

Ternary - Fe Dual - Core: Composed of the "Ternary System Battery + Lithium Iron Phosphate Self - Generating Anode Battery". The ternary battery in the main energy zone can provide a power of up to 1 megawatt. Even when the power is only 20%, it can still output a power of over 600 kW, far exceeding that of a V12 engine. In addition, the main energy zone can also reach a peak charging rate of 12C.

Dual - Ternary Dual - Core: Composed of the "Ternary Battery + Ternary Self - Generating Anode Battery". When installed in a sedan with a wheelbase of 3 meters, the power can exceed 180 kWh, and the comprehensive range can exceed 1500 km.

CATL's Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery has promoted the power battery into the "multi - core era". The significance of the appearance of this battery is no less than that of the early CTP battery pack structure. It is a very significant engineering innovation. So what does this battery mean for consumers?

Electric - to - Electric Range Extension: Opening "Your Era"

All along, the appearance and interior of cars have emphasized individuality to meet the personalized needs of consumers. However, battery products have been centered around standardization.

Whether it is the initial cylindrical battery, the square battery of VDA size, the standardized module, the standardized battery pack, or CATL's Shenxing and Qilin, they are all designed with standardization in mind.

This time, CATL has broken the conventional standardization model of batteries and created a dual - core system based on regional and consumer needs. This is a unique product in the power battery industry.

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

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

The current common design in the industry is to use a fuel engine to drive the motor, which is why many people jokingly call range - extended vehicles "selling electric cars but relying on the fuel tank".

The appearance of CATL's Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery allows two batteries to replenish each other's energy, transforming from "fuel - electric range extension" to "electric - to - electric range extension".

Moreover, CATL's Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery can intelligently adjust the distribution strategy of the two energy zones according to the vehicle's driving state and the user's driving habits, bringing different driving experiences.

"Electric - to - electric range extension" also solves the range anxiety, with a maximum range of 1500 km. More importantly, this product provides consumers with more diverse choices, which is equivalent to opening a new era of battery personalization, that is, what CATL has always called - "Your Era".

For example, consumers in the northern region can choose the Na - Fe Dual - Core Battery, and consumers who pursue extreme performance can choose the Dual - Ternary Dual - Core Battery. Car manufacturers do not need to pay additional battery development costs and only need to equip vehicle versions according to demand.

The Xiaoyao Dual - Core Battery is currently a product that only CATL can achieve because CATL has layouts in multiple material systems.

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

So, the dual - core is just the beginning. After CATL proposed this technological concept, there will be battery products with three - core, four - core, and even multi - core in the future. Consumers can also choose different products according to different driving scenarios.

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

This is also the fundamental reason why CATL is promoting multi - core batteries. To create a product with no short - boards in all scenarios, it can only learn from each other's strengths and use the combination of different product systems to bring consumers a more comprehensive experience.

While the industry is still hesitating about the "fuel - electric debate", CATL has pushed the competition to a new dimension, that is, to make the battery "understand" the user. In the future, each battery may be a "custom - made configuration" for different scenarios.

While most consumers' attention has been focused on intelligence, CATL has once again proved that the story of batteries is far from over, and the new chapter of technological boundary awakening has just begun.