5-minute recharge on 67 models, sodium-ion battery: CATL sees big for 2025

Just hours before the release of Tesla's financial results, which aren't doing very well, on the other side of the Pacific, CATL's teams in China proudly took the stage. With them, the announcement of "Naxtra," a new battery cell for electric cars that abandons traditional LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) chemistry in favor of sodium-ion. At the same time, the manufacturer unveiled the second generation of its superlative battery, "Shenxing," capable of recharging in just 5 minutes.

520 kilometers of range after a 5-minute charge

A month after similar announcements from its main competitor, BYD, CATL's teams were quick to assert their supremacy in China, but also across the entire industry with Shenxing. The electric car battery will offer a range of 520 kilometers after just 5 minutes of charging, CATL announced Monday at the Shanghai Auto Show. BYD, last month, established the range of its fastest-charging battery at 470 kilometers.

In detail, the supplier of electric batteries to Ford, Tesla, General Motors, Stellantis, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Toyota and many others, took advantage of the Shanghai Motor Show to announce:

• The maximum charging power of the battery will reach 1000 kW and 500 kW past 50%
• Shenxing will equip 67 car models by the end of the year
• Depending on its configuration, the Shenxing battery will be able to deliver 800 km of range
• Even at -10 degrees, recharging from 10 to 80% will only take 15 minutes

CATL switches from LFP to sodium-ion with Naxtra

At the same time, CATL presented "Naxtra," a sodium-ion battery cell that breaks new ground with LFP chemistry to push the boundaries in terms of safety. For the occasion, CATL conducted various full-scale tests and put its battery through its paces to prove its resistance to intense stress. The Chinese manufacturer pierced its battery, then cut it in half, without any overheating being observed.

The sodium-ion battery is expected to join the CATL battery range with a strong proposition: increasing the battery life cycle and also offering faster recharges, thanks to the ability to increase voltage without the risk of overheating. Ultimately, these batteries could also aim to reduce the cost of an electric car, thanks to lower manufacturing costs. In terms of energy density, its Naxtra battery will reach 175 Wh per kg, the equivalent of a high-end LFP battery.

Production of the new cell is planned for later this year (CATL is preparing a fourth factory in Europe), and will enable ranges of up to 500 kilometers in 100% electric cars. In a smaller configuration, the battery will also be intended for hybrid or range-extender models, whose range will reach 200 kilometers. As for the second-generation Shenxing battery, capable of returning to 2.5 kilometers per second, CATL's chief technology officer Gao Huan declared:

"We look forward to collaborating with more industry leaders to push the boundaries of supercharging through true innovation." He added that he hopes his new battery proposal will become "the standard for electric vehicles." At Tesla, a 15-minute charge is equivalent to returning a maximum range of 321 kilometers, far behind what the Chinese leader is offering, threatened by the loss of its American customers, due to the new customs fees added by the White House.