520kms in 5 minutes of charging: CATL brings EV battery revolution?

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), one of the world’s largest EV battery manufacturing companies, on Monday, teased the audience with its latest version of Shenxing battery, which claims to give 520 km (323 miles) of range in just five minutes of charging.

While showing off its new battery at the company’s Tech Day event, CATL's new product portfolio has pushed the company further into the EV battery manufacturing race. 

Earlier last month, BYD, China’s EV giant, unveiled its superfast charging system that can add 400km (250 miles) of range in five minutes. Meanwhile, the well-known Tesla seemed to be lagging with its offering to provide 320 km (200 miles) of range in 15 minutes of charging. 

According to the manufacturer, the second-generation Shenxing battery can charge extremely quickly in extremely cold temperatures—something that EVs typically have trouble with.

In a cold-weather demonstration, CATL demonstrated how an electric car with a Shenxing could charge from 5% to 80% in 15 minutes at minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit).

China has accumulated a technological advantage quite rapidly. Over the past 12 months, Zeekr, a competitor of Tesla, CATL, and BYD, have all shown that their batteries can be charged in less than 15 minutes.

Additionally, CATL revealed a Naxtra sodium-ion battery cell, which it claimed was more stable than conventional lithium-based batteries, as well as a line of dual-power batteries that could give EVs a range of up to 1,000 kilometres.

The largest battery producer in the world, with its headquarters in Ningde, is getting ready to go public in Hong Kong with a multibillion-dollar valuation. On Monday, CATL's stock was up more than 2%.