EV range anxiety could soon be a thing of the past
Development of EV batteries is advancing everyday, with batteries capable of more than 1000km of driving on a single charge soon to be hitting the roads.
You may have heard such claims before, but EV range anxiety could soon be a thing of the past with actual, road-ready batteries capable of more than 1000km of driving on a single charge about to enter the market.
Unlike so many other theoretical concept batteries, this one is about to enter production in two electric car models.
The battery in question is called the Qilin, and it’s from Chinese company Contemporary Amperex Technology, better known as CATL.
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While not widely known outside of technology circles, CATL is one of the world’s largest producers of batteries for electric vehicles, reportedly supplying about one-third of all EVs.
The company has deals with Tesla, BMW, Hyundai, Daimler, Nissan, Volkswagen and several Chinese brands, so the potential reach for this new battery is substantial.
The key to the range breakthrough is the construction of the Qilin battery. The so-called “blade” design features thin cells stacked vertically and separated by a thin panel, filled with coolant. This provides several advantages, according to CATL, specifically a volume-utilisation efficiency of 72 per cent, which is a huge advance for the industry.
This new design also allows for a 50 per cent improvement in thermal efficiency, which is another area that makes a major impact on the range a battery can provide.
CATL claims the energy density of its lithium-ion battery is 255Wh/kg, which allows it to provide up to 1000km of range in the right model. A second version of the Qilin battery, using lithium-ferro-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, still produces 160kWh/kg which CATL claims is enough for more than 800km of range.
The first brand to use this new battery technology will be Zeekr, a relatively new Chinese marque that is part of the Geely Group, which also owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.
The first production car with the Qilin battery will be the Zeekr 009, a Chinese-market people mover that will use the LFP version. Zeekr has confirmed that it will also launch a 001 model, a more aerodynamic, five-door liftback which will have the lithium-ion Qilin battery and a claimed driving range of 1032km.
As impressive as the claims from CATL are, they have not been verified outside of China or by independent reviews, and the range claims are based on the Chinese light-duty test cycle (CLTC), which is generally considered to produce results higher than the real-world-focused WLTP testing criteria.
While the practical benefits of a 1000km range are questionable, based on data that suggests most motorists around the world drive less than 100km per day, the figure is seen as a benchmark in the car industry and a key to finally breaking through the “range-anxiety” that has slowed EV uptake.
In June 2022, Mercedes drove its Vision EQXX concept car more than 1200km from Stuttgart, Germany, to the Silverstone racing circuit in England on a single charge, setting a real-world driving record for an electric vehicle.
While the Vision EQXX is not set for production, it is understood to feature a new platform that will underpin Mercedes’ next generation of EVs and push the company’s driving range well beyond 600km.
Cars get cheaper as key costs fall Cheaper cars as costs fall
The cost to buy an electric vehicle is beginning to come down, making EVs more accessible than ever, but what does this mean automotive brands?
Can battery metals be sourced sustainably?
What are the environmental costs behind sourcing the metals for the batteries that power our electric vehicles?