From OilPrice, October 10:
- Chinese battery manufacturers, led by CATL, are introducing new batteries capable of superfast charging, achieving 80% charge in under 10 minutes.
- China’s dominance in Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery technology, which is safer and more cost-effective than nickel-cobalt alternatives, gives it an edge over competitors like South Korea's LG and Samsung.
- Despite advancements, concerns about battery lifespan, overheating, and the availability of public charging stations still hinder mass EV adoption.
The world's biggest battery makers are working to make electric vehicles more attractive to hesitant buyers by offering a five-minute charge time for a decent range that would give drivers the same superfast experience as they would have at a gas station.
Currently, the charging times for EVs range anywhere from 20 minutes to 50 or more hours, depending on the charger types and speeds, as well as the vehicle battery capacity.
Some battery makers have recently unveiled batteries capable of charging to 80 percent in fewer than 10 minutes and say that technological advances will soon lead to the five-minute charge that would revolutionize the EV driving experience.
However, experts point to faster exhaustion of the battery's lifespan in excessive superfast charging and increased risks of battery fires with overheating during the under-10-minute charge.In addition, the lack of superfast charging is only one of the current anxieties for drivers considering buying an EV. Others include not enough public charging points for a convenient car trip at longer distances, the cost of buying and keeping an EV with uncertainties about incentives, and expensive battery replacement.
The 10-Minute Charge Breakthrough
The Chinese battery manufacturers are leading in the race to superfast charging as their lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are not as susceptible to overheating as the nickel-cobalt chemistry in the batteries of their competitors in South Korea.
China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), the world's biggest battery maker, which supplies batteries to Tesla and BMW, among others, unveiled in April the world's first LFP battery that achieves a range above 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) with 4C superfast charging....
....MUCH MORE
Previously on iron batteries:Deep Dive: Iron Batteries Crushed The Demand For Cobalt, Reduced The Demand For Nickel
Watch Out Elon, Here Come The Iron Batteries (TSLA)
Tesla's Pivotal Move In Battery Chemistry (TSLA)
"What Tesla’s bet on iron-based batteries means for manufacturers" (TSLA)
"Tesla will only use iron-based batteries for standard model EVs" (TSLA)
Batteries: Lithium-Iron may be Competitive With Lithium-Cobalt
Platts' "Commodity Tracker: 5 charts to watch this week"
Batteries: ...The Race to Build Europe’s First Lithium-Iron-Phosphate Battery Gigafactory
Lithium-Iron, it's all anyone is talking about....
"Tesla in talks with China's EVE for low-cost battery supply deal -sources" TSLA)
Well I guessTony StarkElon Musk is now officially Iron Man.One more from 2018—apparently a great year for Iron Age types while I kept writing Bronze Age on my checks. ("Dad, what's a check?"):
Twenty Month Payback for Tesla 100-MW Utility Scale Battery Storage System
Elon (and Panasonic) may have just found another multi-billion dollar business.
Going forward the chemistry probably won't be Lithium ion, maybe molten-salt or iron based, but the fact TSLA can now pitch this kind of payback probably heralds the beginnings of lithium rush 3.0, or at least the promotion thereof....
The fast-charging ability is going to be crucial for mass acceptance of electric vehicles if they are to be anything more than commuter-type transportation that can recharge overnight at home.
"China's top EV battery maker announced a breakthrough, but top boffin isn't convinced"
Watch Out Elon: "Wireless EV Charging Hits Key Benchmark"
Chinese EV battery maker CATL unveils LFP battery with 1,000 km range
It's not just the 620 mile range. The battery can handle extremely fast charging. From Electrek, also April 25:
CATL unveils world’s first LFP battery with 4C ultra-fast charging for 370-mi in 10 mins
"....that can add 370 miles (600 km) range in 10 minutes..."
And the flywheels? From the time CATL introduced the predecessor to the new battery, July 11, 2023:
"CATL announces new battery with 400 kilometer range on 10 minute charge"
Have I ever mentioned the "Flywheel Effect?"
*****
I think we're witnessing the Flywheel Effect in action at, not just China's but the world's largest battery producer.
Incremental advantages lead to overwhelming business success. I don't know if there are 16,000 researchers in the entire rest of the battery biz. If that's the case, how can they catch up to CATL?
Amazing what being able to hire 16,000 researchers can lead to,
And just for grins and giggles, from Reuters, April 29:
CATL boss visits Elon Musk's Beijing hotel on Tesla CEO's surprise trip
