Chinese manufacturer CATL announced the development of a battery capable of allowing an electric vehicle to travel up to 1,500 kilometers on a single charge, intensifying competition with rival BYD.
The new version of the Qilin battery significantly surpasses the autonomy of the previous generation, which reached around a thousand kilometers, according to the company, which also presented improvements in charging speed.
CATL also revealed a Shenxing battery upgrade, capable of charging from 10% to 98% in six and a half minutes, an improvement over the 15 minutes required in the previous version to charge from 5% to 80%.
The announced performance surpasses that of the latest Blade battery from Chinese BYD, presented in March, which needs around nine minutes to charge from 10% to 97%.
2 companies dominate more than half of the global market
The two Chinese companies, which together represent more than half of the global electric vehicle battery market, have intensified investment in research and development, focusing on cell chemistry and manufacturing processes.
“The limit of electrochemistry is still far from being reached and the possibilities of materials science are far from being exhausted,” said CATL founder Robin Zeng Yuqun during a presentation in Beijing.
According to the company, technological advances aim to respond to persistent consumer concerns, such as charging time, autonomy on long trips and performance in extreme temperature conditions.
The sharp reduction in battery costs, combined with the rapid technological progress of companies such as CATL and BYD, is also reinforcing China’s dominant position in this strategic sector, essential for both electric vehicles and energy storage systems.
CATL also announced plans to reinforce investment in charging and battery exchange infrastructure, in line with the objectives of the Chinese Government.
The company plans to build up to 100,000 charging and battery exchange stations by 2028, in partnership with Chinese car manufacturers, and better integrate these infrastructures into the country’s electrical system.
Among other initiatives, CATL indicated that it intends to begin mass production of sodium-ion batteries in 2026, a technology that could reduce dependence on raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.
The announcements were made ahead of the Beijing motor show, where around 1,400 new vehicle models are expected to be presented.
Despite tensions between the United States and China and concerns about the Chinese economy, CATL has seen renewed interest from investors, in a context in which instability in the Middle East has reinforced prospects for growth in demand for clean energy.
The company’s shares listed in Hong Kong have risen more than 40% since the beginning of the year and have accumulated an appreciation of close to 140% in the last 12 months.
