The most IMPORTANT electric car company you’ve never heard of…
What’s up, Electraheads? I am at Europe’s biggest mobility show to check out the most cutting edge of electric vehicle technology. Let’s go. [Music] The IAA hosts all kinds of brands from Beamoth manufacturers to wideeyed startups and everything in between. We’ve got VW, Ford, Volvo, BMW, MercedesBenz. I could go on. Now, all of these car brands have one thing in common, something that is almost invisible to every EV user, but is by far the most crucial component, and that is, of course, the battery. And all of these brands I mentioned are all powered by a certain battery brand that most EP drivers might not have even heard of before. It’s C A T L. And when you dive a little deeper, you realize that they are huge players in the European market. I mean, huge players in the world. And this week, CL have come here to IA to announce not only a brand new generation of battery technology, but also a brand new battery. That is great news for us EV drivers, but not so good news for the EV naysayers. CL has built its presence in Europe for over a decade with groundbreaking innovations and new technologies that have shaped electric mobility. They now serve a significant portion of the European market with 44% of the market share, which far surpasses that of its South Korean battery giant competitor LG. In fact, one in every three EVs globally are powered by CL. So, there’s a high chance that your electric car is a part of this story. So, what exactly has their contribution been to the battery space? I mean, where do I begin? CL’s 22 years of development would be a whole other video. But what I will say is that these three batteries that have been released in just the past 3 years alone have been huge breakthroughs. The Kierin battery launched in 2022 used their cell pack system that could easily achieve 1,000 kilometers on a single charge. The Shenzing ultra fast charging LFP battery launched in 2023 which is capable of adding around 400 kilometers of range in just 10 minutes marking the industry’s entry into the LFP ultra fast charging era. And the Free Voice Super Hybrid battery launched in 2024 could deliver over 400 km of all electric range and support ultra fast charging to get more than 280 km in just 10 minutes. And that isn’t even covering it all because they’ve also been developing lightweight batteries for aviation. I mean, it’s just astounding that CL have been able to make huge leaps in battery innovation pretty much every single year. Because in truth, whilst breakthroughs in battery technology is the most crucial, it’s also the most challenging. And yesterday, I went over to their press launch to learn exactly how they’ve got here. They’ve invested 10 billion US dollars in R&D, more than any other players in the battery industry with over 20,000 people involved. Their portfolio alone has 50,000 patents both in process and granted. Despite only starting in 2011, they’ve now powered 20 million plus EVs and partnered with over 200 car makers worldwide. This is undoubtedly why CL is so damn popular with car manufacturers. They’re one upping themselves on cost, safety, and efficiency standards every year. So, you must be wondering what on earth have CL done next. And it’s nothing short of another huge step forward for innovation of battery technology, which I have to say there’s definitely a theme with this brand here, isn’t there? So first up there is this brand new battery technology but also there is a brand new battery which houses this new technology. So we have the NP3.0 which is the world’s safest battery technology to date. And then we also have the Shenzing Pro. The Shenzing Pro is an LFP battery that comes in two versions. One that is super fast charging but also one that not only has a long range but also super long life. When it comes to rechargeable batteries, there is unfortunately an inherent risk of thermal runaway. Some are more at risk than others due to their chemistry. Thermal runaway can happen either from overcharging, overheating, internal defects, or impact. Avoiding thermal runaway is key as it can be catastrophic and is a concern to consumers. So, CL took this headon and found a way to be able to manage a battery even if the worst happens. The NP3.0 0 gives you the best chance possible to come away unscathed. This new technology is made up of flame retardant electrolytes, non-flammable safety separators, and nanocoated cathode materials. Now, if that last one got a bit too technical, basically the coating acts like a shield, preventing unwanted side reactions between the cathode and the electrolyte. In turn, this means that if one cell gets too hot, the neighboring cells are kept stable with minimal swelling. But that’s not it. These cells also have a fireproof coating which expands when heated, providing insulation and thermal runaway impact resistance. And to top it all off, baked into all of this is an impressive suite of system detection and control strategies that monitor the insulation, temperature, voltage, and pressure signals. In the event of thermal runaway, say if you’re driving on the motorway, what would normally happen with a conventional bev is the system would immediately shut down. The vehicle will lose propulsion. The speed will drop sharply and the car can only coast on inertia. On a busy road, this situation is not only dangerous for the driver, but for those around them. It can be difficult to safely reach the hard shoulder and in turn can pose a risk of secondary accidents. With MP3.0, the power is maintained. The vehicle can sustain a stable power supply for over 1 hour, and you can maintain that speed so the driver can navigate themselves safely out of harm’s way. And amazingly, there’s no fire, not even smoke. Well, this is very bad news for the EV naysayers. Now, interestingly, according to CL, this is going to be fundamental technology in both L3 and L4 autonomous driving. For them, it’s a non-negotiable for safety. And they’re absolutely right. Because whilst the idea of a vehicle driving me around without a human operating it still absolutely terrifies me, it just goes to show that CL are putting the safety protocol right at the forefront of these vehicles as the accident responsibility shifts from the human driver to the vehicles themselves. So now that we know more about the battery safety technology, what about the battery itself? The Shenzing Pro, as I mentioned, it’s not only the first battery to house NP3.0, but it’s also claiming some serious numbers. First, let’s talk range. CL claims a 122 kWh battery can deliver up to 758 km on one charge. For an LFP battery, this is really impressive. Generally speaking, LFP packs store less energy per kilogram compared to NMC, one of the most popular chemistries in electric vehicle batteries. Not only are you getting the added safety of an LFP battery and the MP3 technology, but you’re also now getting a very acceptable range. This in fact makes it the longest range LFP battery in Europe. The involvement of MP3 technology means the failure rate of individual battery cells is less than 1 in 1 billion. In fact, even before MP3.0, CL’s extremely low failure rate had already reached PPP level or part per billion, meaning fewer than one failure per billion cells produced. To put that into perspective, most of the industry is still operating at the ppm level, parts per million, which is significantly higher. The Shenzing Pro has a super long battery life, up to 12 years or 1 million km, over 200,000 km. The Shenzing Pro will degrade by 9%, whilst the general EV battery will lose over 30% capacity. That’s not only huge news for EV owners, but also huge news for secondhand sales. EVs will be able to go further and last longer. And finally, you have super fast charging. The Shenzing Pro is the world’s first LFP battery to combine 12C peak charging speed, the ability to add 410 km WLTP range in just 20 minutes at -20° C. So, let me just quickly break that down for you. A C rate is a measure of how fast a battery is charged or discharged relative to its capacity. So, 1 C is charging or discharging the battery in an hour. 2C in 30 minutes. 3C in 20 minutes. So 12 C is 12 times a battery’s total capacity per hour. Hence their impressive claims. And all of this is atus 20 Celsius, which would be a minefield for an operating battery as usually colder temperatures not only reduce the range and performance, but it also makes charging difficult and even risky. Interestingly, these latest developments were in fact inspired by the demands of the European market. Specifically, with the presence of unlimited speed highways like the Autoban and our liking for road trips thanks to our countries being so close together, the safety and efficiency aspect has been a driving force in this development. And with more extreme temperatures being prevalent in places like Northern Europe and really hot countries like southern Spain dealing with the blistering summer temperatures, Shenzing Pro can maintain a decent charging rate. I think the most uh uh concern about choosing a UV is a battery. Is it sustainable or if the longlasting and uh also it’s uh safe? It’s very important. There’s quite a big difference between if you live in a large country and a small country. Now, I I live in Denmark, which is very dense, very urban, which means that you you do not tend to drive long distances, which means range anxiety, it’s not that much of a problem anymore. If you live in, you know, northern Norway or northern Sweden or even Germany, you you might have to drive long distances and then you need uh you know, longer range. But but that’s also what we’re seeing here actually is that you know cars that go 600, 800, even even 1,000 kilometers. So I I think brain site is probably more a mental thing than a real problem to be honest. No, I think everyone say like the electric vehicle is very green. My uncle said the only reason I’m not going for electric is because of the recycling. So I’m think it’s if we are more developed on this, it will bring more people into this domain. Raw materials are expensive and limited. So I think it’s a logic step to go in one direction second use uh of batteries in power plants or if really the batteries are dead to really recycle them and take out uh the let’s say rare more materials which are uh costy or not not hard to get. Battery recycling is such an important part of the story because whilst they do help cut tailpipe emissions, to be honest, the whole production of them are actually quite carbon intensive and upfront that carbon cost is more than say creating a general. Now, obviously that does flatline once you’ve driven your battery electric car for about a couple of years on clean energy, but the whole process isn’t perfect. The need for recycling batteries and their materials are absolutely crucial as we move into a predominantly battery electric market. And you bet CL has something to do about it. Together with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a global authority on circular economy, they’ve realized a circular battery economy that will recycle battery materials and move away from dependence on virgin mineral resources. Within the next 20 years, it’s estimated that 50% of new battery production worldwide will be free from mineral extraction. By transforming the design, manufacturing to usage, recycling, and repurposing, suddenly a whole new market is unlocked. Projections suggest that by 2040, the global battery recycling industry will exceed 1.2 2 trillion yen in value, generating over 10 million new jobs. The recent launch of this vision marks a milestone. The circular battery economy is moving from concept into systematic largescale practice. In 2024, CL built the world’s largest recycling network, processing 130,000 tons of used batteries, producing 17,000 tons of lithium salts with a recovery rate of 99.6% 6% for nickel, cobalt, and manganese, and 93.8% for lithium. With Volvo, they’ll collect retired batteries and hand them to downstream suppliers certified by Volvo cars for the recycling and extraction of metals, including nickel, cobalt, and lithium. CL will use these recycled materials to produce new batteries to power electric vehicles manufactured by Volvo. In fact, CL has already achieved carbon neutrality in their Germany battery plant with the other two European plants scoped to do the same in the next 10 years. So, when you step back and look at the bigger picture, it’s clear DATL isn’t just making batteries. They’re reshaping what the future of mobility looks like. Safer, longerlasting, more sustainable, and in this instance, designed with the European market in mind. In over 12 years, they’ve 6xed driving range from 150 km to 1,000 km. They’ve 30xed the charging speed from 8 hours to 15 minutes and 5xed the battery life cycle from 2,000 cycles to 10,000 cycles. The truth is, the battery isn’t the hidden part of the EV. It’s the heart of the EV revolution. And with innovations like NP3.0 O and the Shenzing Pro. It feels like we’re entering a whole new era of electric vehicles. What do you guys think at home? Are you impressed by CL’s developments? Or do you think there’s another battery company that could soon be taking over? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below. And if you have enjoyed this video, make sure to hit that like button, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to stay up to date with more EV news and reviews, and I’ll see you in the next one. [Music]
I headed to Europe’s biggest mobility show to uncover the most important electric car company you’ve (probably) never heard of. While the spotlight often falls on carmakers like VW, Volvo, and Mercedes, the real story lies in the technology powering them all: the battery.
This global giant already powers 1 in 3 EVs worldwide, and at IAA they revealed their latest game-changing battery technology. From ultra-fast charging to the world’s safest EV battery system, their innovations could reshape the way we think about electric mobility.
Are we witnessing the future of electric vehicles? Or is another player ready to take the lead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more deep dives into the future of mobility!
#CATL #technology #innovation
00:00 The heart of innovation
01:23 Why they’re so important
01:53 Their contribution
03:53 Their BRAND NEW technology
04:35 Battery risks
04:56 The solution
05:53 A motorway conundrum
07:08 The Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery
10:13 What the people think
11:48 Battery recycling
14:06 How much has changed
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