Beijing, China

The growth and constant advancements in lithium-ion battery technology are relatively recent and have been led by established players such as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) and BYD. However, new car manufacturers from China have been actively working on bringing battery solutions in-house. More recently, Geely, Volvo and Polestar’s parent company has presented its most recent creation in the range of the batteries under the name of the Aegis Short Blade LFP battery. 

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It is planning on launching this new battery to directly compete with CATL’s Shenxing battery as well as the BYD Blade Battery 2.0, which is expected to restore the performance and endurance in the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

The Aegis Short Blade battery is one of the key products, demonstrating Geely’s aggressive move into the LFP cell market that is emerging as a strong contender in the automotive markets due to improved reliability and safety characteristics. Initially seen as suitable only for low-end traditional EVs because of the lower energy density as compared with NCMs, LFP cells are now being worked upon for the possible replacement of nickel-based chemistries in all but the high-performance category on EVs.

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Geely gave its Aegis Short Blade battery an energy density of 192 Wh/kg, and it has the capability to maintain 80 percent of its charging up to 3,500 cycles of charging without reduction to the driving range. Geely claims that these improvements are due to the incorporation of nanotube technology that enables ion exchange, and further enhancements of the additives that improve the film thickness permeability for the easier transfer of lithium ions in the electrodes.

Moreover, Geely's new battery cells demonstrate superior performance in cold climates, maintaining 90.54% of their capacity at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), compared to 78.96% for conventional long blade batteries.

Concerning layout, safety is well preserved to the core in Geely's battery configuration. Housed in the Aegis Short Blade cells there is a self-fusing technology on the electrode that will seal off in case of an accident to avoid short circuits. Compared with the conventional lead-acid batteries, these batteries are equipped with high strength, high thermal stability diaphragms which help to prevent the batteries from overheat and improve its safe performance under high temperature environment.

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Geely Auto’s first use of the Aegis Short Blade battery will be in the Geely Galaxy E5 Bull Electric Vehicle which is set for release in early August this year. It will be available in two battery pack variants: 50 kWh and 60 kWh respectively; which translates to ranges of 440 km (273 miles) and 530 km (329 miles) respectively according to the Chinese CLTC standard.

The incorporation of the Aegis Short Blade battery by Geely also exhibits the company’s effort of contributing to electric vehicle technology and improving on the vehicle drive, thereby redefining the electric mobility space and setting new standards in the extremely competitive world of electric mobility.