Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has unveiled its latest EREV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle) battery, which it claims offers up to 600 km of all-electric range and more than 2000 km in hybrid mode.
The battery maker unveiled its second-generation Freevoy powerhouse yesterday at a technology day ahead of the opening of the Beijing Motor Show on Friday. CarNewsChina reported that it will be available in three chemistries and will offer an all-electric range of between 500 km and 600 km, depending on the variant.
CATL reportedly views the battery’s 600km range capacity as a “new competitive benchmark” in China’s EREV segment. It is also suitable for “4C” charging, meaning it can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in about 15 minutes. The claimed range is higher than the 400 km figure of the company’s first-generation battery, which only hit the market in 2024.
Additionally, CATL’s third-generation Qilin battery – a full-fledged electric vehicle battery also unveiled this week – is said to offer a range of around 1000km, and the company says some technologies will be shared between it and the Freevoy.
The clearest example of this shared technology is reportedly the ternary lithium version of the Freevoy, which delivers a claimed all-electric range of 600km.
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According to CATL, this type of range capability reduces the likelihood that the range-extended powertrain’s motor will ever actually be put into operation, as it exceeds the approximately 400km electric vehicle range claimed by many current EREVs by 50 percent and means that most commuting can be accomplished using electric power alone.
The maximum range of more than 2000 km should be achievable if the EREV’s engine is used as intended to charge the battery.
The other two chemistries available for the Freevoy will be a fairly traditional lithium iron phosphate (LFP) option with 500km range and 4C charging, and a sophisticated blend of LFP and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) materials.
The main advantage of the latter, also called “super hybrid technology”, is an increased energy density of 230 Wh/kg, compared to an average of around 160 Wh/kg for most conventional LFP batteries. This not only increases the range by 15 to 20 percent, but also increases the weight of the battery pack.
CATL says it has also made significant progress in security. According to reports, the new battery’s bottom coating can withstand an impact of approximately 1,500 joules of energy, “equivalent to the firing power of a standard rifle.” This is significantly higher than the reported Chinese national average of 150 joules.
Due to its sealing and waterproof properties, it can also be submerged in two meters of water for 200 hours. The national standard for this metric is reportedly 30 minutes of immersion in one meter of water.
The second generation Freevoy is just one part of CATL’s extensive catalog of EV batteries. The company says more than 95 percent of EREVs sold are equipped with its batteries with an all-electric range of more than 300 km, and that the new Freevoy is now the benchmark for all-electric range in EREVs.
Although EREVs are far more popular in China, given CATL’s status as the world’s largest battery manufacturer, there’s a good chance you’ve used CATL’s batteries in Australia, where the only EREV powertrain available to date is offered in the Leapmotor C10 midsize SUV.
Tesla is CATL’s largest customer and also supplies batteries for Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Volvo, Toyota and Mazda.
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