CATL's new Shenxing Pro battery promises a 10-minute charge for European EVs

The world's largest battery manufacturer, CATL, has unveiled a new battery technology designed to solve the biggest headaches for electric car drivers: range anxiety and long charging stops. Revealed at Europe's IAA Munich auto show, the new Shenxing Pro battery promises to deliver incredibly fast charging and impressive longevity. The new technology will be available in two distinct versions, each tailored to a different driver priority.

For drivers who value distance above all else, CATL presented its "Super Long Life & Long Range Battery." The branding, while not exactly subtle, gets straight to the point. This version is built around a large 122 kWh battery pack, and according to CATL, it can achieve a range of 470 miles based on the European WLTP testing cycle.

The real-world range will obviously depend on the specific electric car it's installed in, the figures are promising. CATL claims this pack can charge from 10% to 80% in just 15 minutes. For a battery this large, that means adding roughly 85 kWh of energy - more than the entire battery capacity of many mid-sized electric cars on the road today - in the time it takes to grab a coffee.

The second battery developed by CATL is the "Super-Fast Charging Battery." This variant uses a slightly smaller 110 kWh pack but makes a bold claim: a 10% to 80% charge in just 10 minutes. The company states that a single 10-minute charging session could add 297 miles of WLTP range.

The US EPA testing standard is generally more conservative, so a realistic estimate for American drivers would likely be closer to 230 miles. Still, adding that much range in 10 minutes would place it among the fastest-charging electric cars in the world, making long-distance travel way more convenient.

CATL is also tackling the issue of battery degradation, a major concern for potential EV buyers who are worried about long-term ownership costs. The Shenxing Pro is a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, a chemistry known for its durability. CATL claims the battery will lose only 9% of its capacity after 124,000 miles. Even more impressively, the company projects that the battery will retain 70% of its original capacity after 1 million kilometers and 10,000 charging cycles.

The secret behind such performance is in the battery's construction. CATL uses what it calls "Wave" cells that are integrated directly into the battery pack, a design known as cell-to-pack. This method eliminates the need for bulky intermediate modules, allowing more active battery material to be squeezed into a given space, much like fitting Lego blocks together without any wasted gaps.

This is especially important for LFP batteries, which are typically heavier and less energy-dense than the high-nickel cells used in many other electric cars. While CATL has not released specific energy-density figures, the cell-to-pack design is key to overcoming LFP's traditional limitations.

CATL is making its ambitions in Europe perfectly clear, and is backing them with a $12.9 billion investment in the region. This includes new battery manufacturing plants in Germany, Hungary, and Spain. The company's goal is to establish a complete local ecosystem, from producing the raw materials to manufacturing the batteries and eventually recycling them. CATL has not yet confirmed which automakers will be the first to use the Shenxing Pro.

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