EV Battery-Maker CATL Unveils Single-Charge 1,000km Power Unit

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery maker CATL has unveiled a record-breaking 1,000-kilometre, single-charge battery.

CATL showed off the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) Shenxing Plus battery on the first media day of the Beijing auto show. LFP batteries are environmentally friendlier than the lithium-ion batteries more commonly used in EVs.

Four car models use the current-generation Shenxing battery with its 700km range, and over 50 more models will be equipped with it by year-end, Chief Technology Officer Gao Huan of CATL’s e-car division Gao said.

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The world’s largest EV battery maker, formally Contemporary Amperex Technology, saw profit swing to growth in January-March after three months earlier posting its first quarterly profit fall since 2022 amid slowing demand and intensified competition.

Chinese battery makers including CATL grew faster than rivals to account for more than two-thirds of global EV battery capacity last year, showed data from consultancy Counterpoint Research.

In March, CATL’s chairman said the manufacturer is in discussions to establish research and development centres in Hong Kong to underpin technology exports.

Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara

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Sean O'Meara

Sean O'Meara is an Editor at Asia Financial. He has been a newspaper man for more than 30 years, working at local, regional and national titles in the UK as a writer, sub-editor, page designer and print editor. A football, cricket and rugby fan, he has a particular interest in sports finance.