Will China’s New EV Batteries Dominate the U.S. Market? What You Need to Know

Current status of battery technology in China
Can be fully charged 6 times in 1 hour
Will the competitive gap widen further?

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD and battery company CATL are making headlines by announcing the development of an electric vehicle battery with a charging speed of 6C.

A battery’s C rating indicates the number of times it can be fully charged in one hour. In other words, a battery with a 6C charging rate can theoretically be charged six times in one hour. According to local Chinese media, BYD and CATL are developing a new battery that can be charged 100% in about 10 minutes.

CATL’s Shenxing Plus Battery: 600 km Range with 10-Minute Charge

CATL is one of the world’s leading companies in battery technology. CATL launched Shenxing PLUS battery with 4C charging speed in electric vehicles in August 2023. This battery is the world’s first to achieve a range of more than 1,000 km (621 miles) with 4C ultra-fast charging. In just eight months, an era of ultra-fast charging has begun beyond the limitations of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The battery’s cathode is said to have achieved ultra-small density using granular gradient technology that places all nanometer particles in the optimal position.

A honeycomb-shaped material is added to the anode to increase energy density while minimizing volume expansion during charging and discharging. The Shenxing Plus battery pack is said to exceed the performance of regular batteries far, securing a range of 600 km (373 miles) with just 10 minutes of charging. Recently, CATL introduced the 5C battery, and the battery pack was installed in the electric minivan Mega of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Li Auto, charging from 10 to 80% in just 10 minutes and 36 seconds, reaching 500 km (311 miles). It is said that the driving range can be secured.

BYD’s Blade Battery: 2nd Generation Launch Expected This Year

BYD, known as an electric vehicle manufacturer, also makes batteries. The company boasted amazing technological prowess in the battery market, ranking second in global market share after CATL from 2023. BYD, which has not released a new battery for the past three years, is also preparing for battery competition with CATL by launching a fast-charging battery product. According to internal sources, BYD’s second-generation blade battery is likely to be launched in the second half of this year or next. It is said that they are currently developing a battery with a 6C charging speed.

Battery experts predict that BYD will use a mixed material system of iron-lithium + ternary system to achieve 6C charging speed while maintaining high energy density. Starting with 3C batteries in 2022, 4C and 5C batteries were released this year, and 6C batteries are currently being developed. This suggests that battery manufacturers must go beyond improving materials and upgrade the battery system.

European and American Restraints
May Prove Ineffectual

While BYD is working hard to develop 6C batteries, CATL is also expected to release a new Qilin battery in the second half of this year. The battery uses nickel-manganese-cobalt chemicals and is expected to have a charging speed of 6C.

Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union (EU) recently increased tariffs on Chinese automobiles to alleviate the impact of Chinese electric vehicles on their domestic electric vehicle markets. However, the industry predicted that the Chinese industry’s new battery could completely nullify this domestic priority policy. As competition for electric vehicle batteries becomes more intense, attention is being paid to what kind of electric vehicles Chinese companies will produce.