CATL EV Battery Rivals BYD, Charging Only Takes 5 Minutes

KatadataOTO – Electric vehicle battery manufacturer CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited) launched its latest battery innovation at the Shanghai Auto Show 2025.

The presence of this battery from CATL rivals the latest technology from BYD (Build Your Dreams), namely the Super e-Platform, where the battery can be charged to gain a range of 400 km in just five minutes.

CATL's battery uses LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) material. Along with it comes the Freevoy Dual Power Battery, where two batteries can accommodate a journey of up to 1,499 km.

Claimed to exceed the capabilities of BYD's latest EV battery (Electric Vehicle), CATL's power storage unit can regain a range of 520 km in five minutes of charging.

Photo : InsideEVs

Another innovation launched on the same occasion is the world's first mass-produced sodium-ion battery.

The power storage unit can provide an extra range of 310 miles (498 km) in an electric car and 124 miles (199 km) if used in a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle).

This type of battery is claimed to be more robust than lithium-ion, including in extreme temperature conditions.

“CATL revealed its battery can maintain 93 percent of its capacity at a temperature of minus 30 degrees Celsius, and then charge from 30 percent to 80 percent in 30 minutes,” wrote a report from InsideEVs, quoted on Thursday (24/04).

However, it is not yet clear which brands will be supplied with batteries from CATL. Currently, the company is a producer of lithium batteries for well-known brands such as Tesla, Polestar, and Mercedes-Benz. 

However, CATL has also recently established a partnership with other Chinese manufacturers like Aion and Chery to supply swap batteries.

Therefore, there is a chance that CATL's latest technology will be applied to Aion and Chery vehicle lines in the future.

Photo : Carscoops

For your information, CATL is also involved in a nickel battery project in Indonesia. In the initial agreement, it was known that CATL would build a battery cell factory with a capacity of 15 GWh (gigawatt-hours) per year.

The investment nominal was around 1.18 billion USD, but the value approved by the Chinese government dropped by more than half.

However, negotiations are underway to reach an investment agreement that should have been completed by the end of February 2025.