CATL Developed World’s First Hybrid Battery With EV-Like Range

• The new CATL Freevoy battery for PHEVs and EREVs is claimed to deliver 248 miles of range.
• It can apparently add 173 miles in just 10 minutes of fast charging.
• CATL claims the new battery is mostly unaffected by freezing temperatures thanks to sodium ions.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), the world’s largest battery maker, has helped China become the largest market for electric vehicles. It’s so big and influential that even American carmakers have been seeking its expertise in making batteries.

CATL has made bold claims in recent years—like batteries lasting 1.24 million miles and charging speeds previously unheard of. Now, it says its latest hybrid battery offers hundreds of miles of pure electric range, promising to “herald a new era” for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and extended-range EVs (EREVs). 

The company claims its Freevoy hybrid battery has a pure electric range of 400 kilometers (248 miles) thanks to a new type of cathode and electrolyte. It can apparently add 280 kilometers (173 miles) of range in just 10 minutes of charging, assuming you plug into a fast-enough charging stall.

Those numbers are likely based on the overly optimistic China Light Duty Test Cycle (CLTC), but even then, it’s mighty impressive.

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Current PHEVs in the U.S. have a pure electric range of 30-50 miles depending on the make and model. The majority of them cannot fast charge and they’re mostly pricey, barring a few models like the Toyota Prius Prime or the Kia Niro PHEV. In some use cases, they can practically function as EVs if access to charging is easy. 

There are no extended-range EVs (EREVs) in the U.S. at the moment, but automakers like Hyundai have plans to change that down the line. EREVs have a fuel tank and engine like a regular gas car, but the engine powers a generator that recharges the battery, which then powers the motors that drive the wheels.

CATL’s battery, if it holds up to the bold claims, will effectively make PHEVs and EREVs more like EVs and increase their efficiency, minus the range anxiety.

The Freevoy battery uses improved materials inside. The cathode (the negatively charged side of the battery) gets a surface treatment and a new high-voltage liquid that together forms a thin, protective layer. This layer helps reduce unwanted chemical reactions, making the battery more efficient.

Tiny, energized particles inside the cathode help lithium ions (the energy carriers) move more easily, improving the battery’s performance. CATL said its software increases the battery’s state of charge accuracy by 40%, which helps the car use its power better, boosting the range to over 248 miles.

It also analyzed how the battery charges and discharges and created a “control strategy” that predicts how much power is left more accurately. This improved the hybrid vehicle’s power by 20%, the company claims.

Freevoy uses sodium ions, which are considered resilient in cold climates. It can work even at -40 degrees Celsius, charge at -30C and help the EV drive smoothly even at -20C, as it would in normal weather.

The battery is already used by brands like Li Auto and Avatr and by next year, some 30 hybrids from EV giants like Geely, Chery, GAC and Voyah are expected to launch or deliver models equipped with the Freevoy pack.

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