CATL chief scientist Wu Kai said today at a forum in Shanghai that the company has developed a new electrolyte material that can significantly improve the charging efficiency of current lithium-ion batteries.
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According to Wu Kai, the new electrolyte can improve charging efficiency by 50% in extremely cold conditions of -20°C and by 43% in normal temperatures.
Winter weather conditions can be challenging for electric vehicles because the cold slows down the reactions within the electrolyte solution, which transfers charge between the battery’s two electrodes. In cold conditions, the battery must also perform additional work to heat the electric vehicle, which further drags down the range.
Wu Kai said Ningde Times will be able to mass produce batteries with a range of 400 kilometers in 10 minutes of charging this year. He also said Ningde Times’ next goal is to reduce the charging time to five to seven minutes for a 400-kilometer range.
Toyota said last month that it had overcome the durability problem of solid-state batteries and would put them into production as soon as 2027. In response, Wu Kai said he was skeptical that solid-state batteries are ready for mass production and have the ability to reduce costs.
I can say for sure that no company in the industry has been able to mass produce solid-state batteries yet,” Wu noted. They claim to be able to cut costs in half, which is very exciting and would be very disruptive, but I would like to know what the basis of their comparison is.”
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