Chinese company makes car battery offering 400 km range with just 10-minute charging

Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), a Chinese company which is the world's largest battery maker, is saying that it has launched first-ever "superfast charging" battery. This battery is reportedly capable of delivering a range of 400 kilometres (249 miles) when charged for just 10 minutes.

The company is saying that its lithium-ion battery will open a new era for electric cars. This, said the company, would eliminate range anxiety for electric car owners.

The company said that when the battery is charged fully, it can offer a range of over 700 km till the next recharge. This is roughly 60 per cent more than the mileage of average electric vehicle.

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The company has said that the increase in battery capacity and reduction in charge time was due to a “brand-new superconducting electrolyte formula”. This, the company said, has resulted in better conductivity.

“The future of the EV battery technology must remain steadfastly anchored at the global technology frontier, as well as the economic benefits,” said Dr Wu Kai, chief scientist at CATL, as quoted by The Independent.

“As EV consumers shift from pioneering users to ordinary users, we should make advanced technology accessible for all and enable everyone to savour the fruits of innovation.”

CATL manufactured more lithium-ion batteries than any of its competitors last year. It reportedly plans to begin mass manufacturing of next generation battery later this year.

It hasn't been revealed which carmaker would receive the new batteries first. CATL's customers include BMW, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, Honda and more.

Though sales of electric cars still amount to less than fifth of all car sales, there has been a record-breaking increase in the purchase of electric cars in recent years.

Range anxiety is said to be one of the main barriers for customers when they consider purchasing an electric vehicle. There are other challenged like battery degradation and access to battery materials. CATL claims the second point is not a problem with its latest battery.

Majority of the major carmakers has aimed to phase out cars with internal combustion engines fully by 2040. International Energy Agency says sale of electric cars will overtake that of fossil fuel-powered car within next 15 years. Breakthrough in battery technology is likely to reduce this time scale even more.

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