CATL has unveiled a new battery that supports ultra-fast charging to aim for a bigger share of the lower-cost lithium iron phosphate (LFP) market. The Chinese power battery giant unveiled the battery, called the Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery, at a launch event, saying it is the world's first LFP battery to support 4C charging.

C refers to the charging multiplier of the battery, and 4C means that the battery can theoretically be fully charged in a quarter of an hour. The Shenxing Battery can get 400 kilometers of range in 10 minutes of charging time.

Currently, lithium-ion batteries mainly include Li-ion ternary batteries and LFP batteries, with the former typically having higher energy density and higher cost, and the latter having lower energy density, lower cost and poorer performance at low temperatures.

CATL said Shenxing Battery has improved performance at low temperatures, and can be charged to 80 percent in 30 minutes even at temperatures as low as -10°C.

Supported by CATL's in-house technologies, including an ultra-high conductivity electrolyte formulation, Shenxing Battery can enable an EV to achieve a range of up to 700 kilometers.

The Shenxing Battery will be mass-produced by the end of 2023 and available in the first quarter of 2024, when customers will be able to buy cars powered by the battery, CATL said.

This is the latest battery product released by CATL, as battery technology advances rapidly. On June 23, 2022, CATL unveiled the Qilin Battery. Zeekr's Zeekr 001 is already being offered with a version of the battery pack with a range of over 1,000 km.