520km in 5 minutes: Chinese giant CATL unveils Shenxing EV battery

A Chinese tech giant just unveiled its latest EV upgrade and it is set to change the industry and blow rivals out of the water.

One of the biggest turn-offs for people interested in buying an electric vehicle is how fast it takes to charge and the impact that time might have on longer road trips.

That concern is especially prevalent in Australia, where a small weekend roadtrip for an Aussie is the equivalent of crossing several countries in Europe.

But that worry looks set to be a thing of the past after huge tech announcements out of China promised an EV battery that could charge to 520km of driving range in just five minutes.

Beating the five-minute barrier would be a huge leap forward for an EV industry that acknowledges ‘range anxiety’ is the biggest deterrent to people switching from petrol to electric, and technology that charges as fast as it takes to fill a fuel tank is the key to unlocking new customer demographics globally.

The five-minute promise came from Chinese battery giant CATL, which supplies cells to some of the world’s biggest electric car makers such as BMW, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla.

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Unveiling the second generation of their Shenxing battery this week, CATL also claimed it was capable of charging quickly in freezing temperatures – a feat most EVs traditionally struggle to achieve.

CATL’s cold-weather demo at the announcement showed an EV charging from 5 per cent to 80 per cent in just 15 minutes at temperatures of -10C.

CATL only began operating in 2011 and specialises in the production of batteries for cars rather than the production of EVs themselves.

That devotion to the core component of EVs as opposed to an entire vehicle has seen CATL race ahead of other Chinese competitors and Tesla.

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A model of CATL's second-generation Shenxing battery was unveiled this week. Picture: AFP

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Chinese EV giant BYD has now found itself upstaged by CATL after last month announcing a superfast charging system of its own – 400km of range in five minutes.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s most advanced charging systems offer 320km of range in 15 minutes.

CATL chief technology officer Gao Huan told the ‘Tech Day’ event in Shanghai more than 67 new EV models would be powered by Shenxing batteries in 2025, with more than 18 million cars in more than 66 countries.

CATL expects the second generation Shenxing battery to go into production in December.

The Shenxing announcement came at the same time as CATL revealed it was also developing a sodium-ion battery cell called Naxtra – a product which would be more stable than traditional lithium-based batteries.

CATL CEO Zeng Yuqun introduced the company's second-generation Shenxing battery this week. Picture: AFP

The battery-charging war unfolding in China will serve as another warning shot to traditional automakers already struggling to stem the mounting losses they are experiencing at the wave of Chinese EVs infiltrating previously untouchable markets.

The number of cars shipped from China hit 4.7 million in 2024, reports The Economist, triple the amount from just three years earlier and a figure that is projected to reach 7.3 million by 2030.

It’s a similar story in Australia. While 2024 figures showed Aussies bought less pure EVs last year, instead focusing on the range safety provided by hybrids, Australia’s EV Council expects sales of battery-powered vehicles to grow in 2025.

Fresh models from new brands such as Zeekr, Xpeng, Deepal and Leapmotor all land in Australia this year and are expected to propel sales as the price war heats up and technology improves.

Originally published as 520km in 5 minutes: Chinese giant CATL unveils Shenxing EV battery