A new EV battery that can add 370 miles (600 km) range in 10 minutes? China’s CATL introduced its new Shenxing Plus EV battery, capable of just that. CATL claims the new EV battery is the world’s first with 4C ultra-fast charging and +620 miles (1,000 km) CLTC range.
CATL reveals world’s first 4C ultra-fast charging battery
CATL continues advancing EV battery tech as it aims to develop longer-range, faster charging units.
The EV battery giant dominates the industry after leading again in 2023 for the seventh straight year. CATL’s EV battery consumption reached 259.7 GWh last year. Meanwhile, total battery consumption rose to 705.5 GWh globally.
CATL’s share of the market reached as high as 36.8% in 2023, nearly 21% ahead of its closest rival, BYD.
Its latest battery, Shenxing Plus, uses cheaper, more advanced lithium iron phosphate for even faster charging.
CATL said the new EV battery is the world’s first with 4C ultra-fast charging and +620 miles (1,000 km) CLTC long-range capabilities. The new battery can gain a one-km range in as little as one minute. Even at extreme temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F), the new battery offers superfast charging.
To improve the energy density, CATL introduced its in-house 3D honeycomb material. As a result, the Shenxing Plus has an energy density of 205 Wh/kg, comparable to most traditional NCM batteries.
LFP batteries are typically cheaper but are known to offer lower energy density. CATL’s new battery looks to change that.
In January, CATL said it would reduce the cost of LFP batteries per kWh by a massive 50% by the middle of 2024. It looks like it’s well on its way. You can watch CATL’s 2024 product launch below.
CATL 2024 product launch (Source: CATL)
Electrek’s Take
With cheaper, more efficient EV batteries coming out of China, the country looks to solidify its position as the world’s largest electric car market.
In February, CATL formed an “all-star” lineup with other Chinese automakers and battery makers, such as BYD and NIO, to develop new solid-state batteries.
BYD and CATL already supply batteries to Tesla, Ford, BMW, Toyota, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. With even cheaper, more advanced battery tech launching, CATL is enabling more buyers globally to go electric.
Although most automakers have announced plans to develop batteries, how do they plan to keep up with CATL if it’s already this far ahead?
Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
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The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai teases new electric SUV in China (Source: Beijing Hyundai)
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
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Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
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