CATL’s new LFP battery can charge from 10 to 98% in less than 7 minutes

LFP batteries have more linear charging curves than NCM batteries, and unlike the latter, they don’t mind being fully recharged by a DC fast charger. Charging from 10 to 98 percent took just six minutes and 27 seconds. The more standard 10–80 percent time takes just three minutes, 44 seconds. Only have a minute to plug in? Still sufficient to get from 10 to 35 percent state of charge.

Another issue is cold-weather performance, and even electromobility evangelists must concede that EVs suffer more when temperatures drop. An internal combustion engine’s efficiency also degrades below freezing, but the waste heat offsets this a little and also lets you stay nice and warm in the cabin for free. But even at -22 F (-30 C), the Shenxing battery charged from 10 to 98 percent in 9 minutes.

That’s as long as BYD’s Blade 2.0 takes to charge to 98 percent at room temperature; at -22° F, the Blade requires 12 minutes to charge from 20 to 98 percent, according to its maker. CATL credits its battery’s cold-weather performance to very precise temperature control of the individual cells and an ability to heat itself in pulses. An extremely low internal resistance of just 0.25 milliohms also plays an important role.

CATL demoed fast-charging booths and a battery-swap system, though with charging speeds this fast, there seems little point in swapping packs in and out. After 1,000 fast charges, the battery should retain more than 90 percent of its original state of charge, the company said.