CATL’s Next-Gen 5C Batteries Can Be Fully Recharged in 12-Minutes and Has Lifespan That Stretches Beyond a Million Miles

CATL’s innovative 5C battery claims to revolutionize the electric vehicle industry for drivers. CATL, or Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited, the world’s largest battery manufacturer, claims that a full charge takes only 12 minutes and has a lifespan of over a million miles.

The engineers at CATL worked on this battery to see if it could withstand a 5C charge (basically, an 80-kilowatt-hour pack could be charged at 400 kilowatts in roughly 12 minutes) without quickly wearing out. Yes, according to some estimations, a top-up would take about the same amount of time as filling up with gas, but this battery would withstand wear and tear better.

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Under normal conditions, at 68°F (20°C), it retained at least 80% of its original capacity after 3,000 full charge-discharge cycles. When you add the figures up, that’s more than 1.8 million kilometers, or almost one and a half million miles. Or, in the blistering heat of 140°F (60°C) during the summer in Dubai, it managed 80% after 1,400 cycles, or almost 840,000 kilometers and a half million miles. CATL believes this is six times better than the current industry average for batteries put through a similar test.

So how did they manage to accomplish all of this? For starters, the cathode has a unique covering that keeps the battery from breaking down and losing metal ions during rapid charging and discharging. Second, the electrolyte contains an additive that detects and seals tiny breaches, preventing harmful lithium from leaking out and shortening battery life. Last but not least, there is a particular temperature-responsive coating on the separator that slows down the ions when things get heated locally, all of which contributes to a lower risk of things getting out of control.

Heat becomes considerably more of a concern when charging quickly. So they created a clever system that monitors the pack as a whole and precisely distributes coolant to the hotspots, keeping temperatures consistent across all cells and effectively adding years to the lifespan.

All of this implies that the battery no longer wears out as quickly when charging at high speeds. CATL believes it’s ideal for heavy users, large trucks, taxis, and ride-hailing vehicles. They will be the ones who gain from faster turnaround times and lower replacement prices. Passenger cars will follow once production begins, but there is no news on when the 5C variant will be available. Previous versions, such as the 4C technology released in 2023, were only stepping stones, and this is the next natural step.