EVs from ZEEKR and AITO first to use 1,000 km CATL battery

CATL announced its latest, third generation cell-to-pack battery in June of this year. The battery takes its name Qilin from a legendary creature which appears in Chinese mythology and signifies either arrival or passage of a highly regarded ruler. CATL is much better at picking names for its products than BYD, that’s for sure.

The specs of the new battery are quite something - 255 Wh/kg energy density, volume utilization efficiency of 72%, highest integration level among all current batteries and capability to replenish 1,000 km of range in 10 minutes.

In essence, the new battery is made up of power units in the shape of a thin blade. Those blades sit on a common plate at the bottom that connects them together, there is another thin plate running between each battery cell which is filled with cooling liquid. This new approach allows for unprecedented thermal control, the battery allows for a 5 minute hot start and delivers 0 to 80% fast charging in 10 minutes.

Thanks to improved packaging and the new cooling solution, the battery capacity was improved by another 6% over the last generation and thermal runaway is not possible in normal circumstances.

The new technology can be used in ternary and LFP battery systems with the latter delivering up to 160 Wh/kg in energy density. Using the same chemistry and the same external pack size as the 4680 battery, the Qilin delivers 13% more power.

First company to take advantage of this new technology is Zeekr, the subsidiary of Geely. Zeekr and CATL signed a 5 year strategic cooperation contract that gives Zeekr access to Qilin batteries and gives the company an edge over its competitors.

Zeekr 001, the company’s flagship model, will be the first to use the new battery. The top of the range, 400 kW twin motor model will offer 1,000 km of range thanks to the Qilin battery, according to the company.

Zeekr 009 will follow the 001 with the use of Qilin battery but it won't offer the 1,000 km range. It will be a while though, before we see this new tech on the road, both companies confirmed the first cars will reach customers in the second quarter of 2023.

Zeekr isn’t the only one company to offer its car with Qilin battery tech, AITO has announced it signed a 5 year contract with CATL as well. There is no more information on which model will come with the new battery and there is no timeline given either.

So much for range anxiety or long charging times. Not all of us need a 1,000 km range, the majority of people would be happy with a consistent 500 km. Knowing that we can recharge the battery in 5 to 10 minutes puts EVs on a level playing field with legacy cars.

CATL is not he only one to offer new approach, we have StoreDot promoting super-fast charging battery tech and we have Quantumscape with its solid-state batteries making way to production VWs. The technology is not years away, it’s here and it’s now and we will see benefits of it really soon.

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