As early as August, CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd.) announced the world's first lithium iron phosphate battery capable of 4C rapid charging and scalable mass production — the Shenxing Super Charge Battery. Recently, at the Chery Technology Day event, Chery Automobile and CATL officially launched their strategic cooperation and announced that the Shenxing Super Charge Battery would be first installed in the Exeed Starway Era ES. This extraordinary performance lithium iron phosphate product has become a focal point within the industry, overshadowing CATL's own Kirin battery. Why choose lithium iron phosphate? Just how fast is the supercharge speed?
● What is the Shenxing Super Charge Battery?
According to official statements, the Shenxing Super Charge Battery is the world's first lithium iron phosphate battery that can be mass-produced with a 4C supercharging capability.
The term "4C" refers to the battery's charging rate, meaning the current relative to the battery's rated capacity. For example, if a 1Ah battery cell is charged with 1A current, then it can be simply understood that the battery will be fully charged in one hour under this condition. If the current is increased to 2A or 2C, the charging time will decrease to 30 minutes.
There are other battery products in the industry with charging rates of 4C and even 6C or 8C, such as CATL's flagship Kirin battery and Juwan Technology's Phoenix battery, both of which can achieve high charging rates. However, most batteries that reach 4C or higher are made of ternary lithium materials. Gao Huan, CTO of CATL's Passenger Car Division, noted that what sets the Shenxing Super Charge Battery apart is that it boosts the charging rate of lithium iron phosphate batteries to 4C.
Those familiar with battery technology know that compared to ternary lithium batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries have some disadvantages in terms of energy density and low-temperature charging and discharging performance. This difference stems from the variance in the activity of the cathode materials. To achieve high charging rates with better-performing ternary lithium isn't a challenging feat with current industry tech. However, pushing lithium iron phosphate to 4C or higher is quite intriguing.
So, the question arises: if CATL already has the Kirin battery, why persist with lithium iron phosphate? Shouldn't the future of high-performance batteries be pegged on technological breakthroughs in ternary lithium? There's a misconception here.
On closer inspection, one would find that the brands and products that have dominated sales charts in recent years tend to use lithium iron phosphate batteries. Although ternary lithium seems more upscale, lithium iron phosphate might be more profitable. This sheds light on why CATL is heavily investing in developing lithium iron phosphate battery technology.
● What makes Shenxing so 'magical'?
The charging process of lithium batteries can be simply understood as a transportation process. The key factors affecting the speed of charging are the detachment and embedding speed of lithium ions from and to the electrodes, respectively. CATL's ultra-electron net cathode technology and second-generation fast-ion ring anode technology are apt solutions for these challenges.
The "electrolyte" situated between the positive and negative electrodes is a vital component of the lithium battery, affecting its stability, safety, and performance under varying temperatures. CATL's newly developed ultra-high conductivity electrolyte formula primarily reduces the viscosity of the electrolyte.
As we know, the size of the pores in the electrode sheets not only affects the penetration speed of lithium ions but is also related to energy density. CATL's multi-gradient layered electrode sheet is designed to be more porous at the top and denser at the bottom.
Self-heating through the rapid and frequent switching of pulsed current allows the electrode to heat the battery core. As the entire core heats up uniformly, it ensures faster temperature elevation. Officially, even at -10℃, the battery can be charged to 80% in 30 minutes, thus expanding the range of application of the lithium iron phosphate battery, even in colder northern regions during winter.
In addition to the aforementioned innovations, CATL has further optimized the overall design of the battery pack. With the CTP3.0 design without cross-beams and end plates, the strength of the connection between the battery cell and the shell has been enhanced. This design maximizes the space to fit in more battery cells, which the company refers to as integrated pack assembly.
Gao Huan, CTO of CATL's Passenger Car Division, mentioned that the Shenxing Super Charge Battery provides an excellent charging experience even with non-supercharging stations. Compared to other products, its charging current during fast charging is more stable, maintaining consistent power without decay from 10% to 95% SOC.
In summary, the Shenxing Super Charge Battery not only represents a new lithium iron phosphate battery technology, but it also redefines what a lithium iron phosphate battery can be. With its inherent low-temperature disadvantage overcome, its cost advantage has been further amplified.
So, the next question is, when will this remarkable battery be available for purchase? Officials have indicated that this battery will start mass production in two flagship factories by the end of 2023. It's expected that by the first quarter of 2024, it will reach consumers alongside the Chery Exeed Starway Era ES.
Simply put, this technology encapsulates two different types of battery cells — ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate — within the same power battery system. Relying on ternary lithium to balance the vehicle's low-temperature performance and charging efficiency, lithium iron phosphate can better meet daily usage requirements and reduce overall package costs. During the interview, we posed a question regarding this hybrid design: Can the Shenxing Super Charge Battery accommodate this mixed configuration?
Responding to this, Gao Huan gave a sly smile, sharing a "hint" of CATL's future product line planning, "Who said the Shenxing Super Charge Battery must be made of lithium iron phosphate? Why can't it be ternary lithium? Or, tailored versions for specific use scenarios? Like the Shenxing Super Charge for commercial vehicles? Or a winter version of Shenxing?"
By inference, isn't the Kirin battery also not necessarily unique to ternary lithium technology? Perhaps it can be understood this way: Kirin and Shenxing will be CATL's two main technological pillars in the coming years. Kirin is aimed at high-end models with long-range and strong power demands, while Shenxing focuses on cost-effective mid and low-end product combinations. Under these two systems, different types of batteries might emerge, such as "Kirin Lithium Iron Phosphate" or "Shenxing Ternary Lithium". The exact strategy is eagerly anticipated from CATL.
