CATL and BYD Battery Tech Could Disrupt the Global BEV Market

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CATL is the latest battery manufacturer to launch technology aimed at accelerating the electric vehicle (EV) transition and reshaping the broader electric vehicle industry.  While ‘gamechanger’ has become a common cliche when applied to business and technology, sometimes an announcement comes along that is worthy of the word. 

CATL launched the second generation of its Shenxing fast-charging battery technology at the company’s tech event held earlier this week (April 21). The company says the new battery, which uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, adds a range of 520 kilometers (km) with a five-minute charge and can go from 5% to 80% charge in 15 minutes in cold weather. The battery can also be charged at rate of 1,300 kilowatts by a megawatt charger.

Metrics like these have the potential to abolish the two main objections for anyone owning an electric vehicle: namely range anxiety and charging time. With charging times as rapid as these, it removes the inconvenience factor of charging on longer journeys; Drivers will simply not have to worry about recharging on even the longest trips.  

However, while the 1,300-kW charger is impressive, it does not come without issues. The main concern is that the 1,300-kW chargers are not yet available to the public. Additionally, the batteries can only be installed in vehicles that are fitted with a 1,300 kW charging architecture. No vehicle is currently equipped to charge at anywhere near this speed of charge rate, with most BEVs currently operating a 400-V system, and a few operating with an 800-V charging architecture. Expensive vehicles like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT, as well as more more affordable options like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5,have the 800-V charging capability.

At the same time as it announced the second gen Shenxing battery, CATL also launched a new brand, Naxtra, for its sodium-ion battery chemistry, which the company said would go into mass production in December 2025. Sodium-ion batteries may have a cost advantage over lithium-ion batteries as the technology and supply chain develops. This technology also has significant ability to make BEVs more affordable to general buyers. 

CATL’s new battery technology was announced just one month after BYD announced its own step forward in this space. BYD announced its Super e-Platform in March, which also promised to revolutionise the BEV market with charging times similar to ICE vehicle refuelling times.

The big difference between these two battery technology announcements is that while CATL’s 1,300 kW-hour charger is still being developed, BYD is ready to offer its Megawatt Flash Charger to the market now, which can charge at the rate of 1,000 kW.

BYD plans to initially install over 4,000-Megawatt Flash charging stations across mainland China. To give an idea of scale of the vehicle charging power being talked about, 10 Megawatt Flash Charging stations would be enough to power a reasonably sized town.

BYD is commercially launching its Super e-Platform technology on two new models; the Han L sedan and Tang L SUV; both of which have started pre-sales in China and are scheduled to go on sale by the end of this month.  With the new charging technology and 1,000 kW-capable architecture, these vehicles allow the addition of 400 km (249 miles) in just 5 minutes.

This is made possible not only by the charging system, but also by advanced power electronics and the latest evolution of BYD’s proprietary ‘Blade’ battery technology. The latest variant used in the Super e-platform has a 10c charging multiplier. This means that the battery can be charged up to ten times its capacity per hour.

The power levels and speed involved in this kind of charging obviously risk significant thermal management issues, but BYD says it has solved this challenge with what it calls its all liquid-cooled megawatt flash charging terminal system. This system manages temperatures during charging; If it proves to be reliable when in commercial use, it will display a significant advance by BYD in battery thermal management.  

To compete with startup EV makers in the development of high-performance drive units, BYD has launched a new electric motor capable of reaching 30,511 rpm. The new rear motor produces maximum output of 580kW and boasts top speeds exceeding 300 km/h. This powerful new motor enables the Han L EV to accelerate from still to 100 kilometers-per-hour in 2.7 seconds.