November 2, 2024: CATL, China’s king of EV batteries, this week, revealed its new Freevoy battery offering twice the current ‘normal’ capacity of driving range, the company said.
The Freevoy Super Hybrid battery has been designed to make leaps in sustainable travel amid huge rising demand. It is the first on the market to offer more than 400km of driving range before resorting to the fuel tank, as well as an ultra-fast 15 minute charge.
CATL says the new battery will optimize the electric range of hybrid vehicles, addressing the current common problem in batteries such as slow charging and poor performance in extreme cold conditions.
The updated technology will allow users to reach up to 280km in just 10 minutes of charging, a feature that will alleviate the well-known ‘range anxiety’ among hybrid car drivers today.
According to the company, the features of the Freevoy battery come from an integration of advanced CATL technologies such as the modification of the cathode surface and the development of a high-conductivity electrolyte, a development favorable to its autonomy. These innovations, together with the new BMS management system, allow for more precise control of the state of charge, improving energy efficiency by 20%.
In addition, the integration of a protective layer on the cathode helps to increase the battery’s lifespan and performance in extreme temperature conditions.
The firm expects the Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery to help grow its global market share and redefine plug-in hybrid vehicles, as more consumers in mainland China opt for cars powered by a combination of battery packs and combustion engines to overcome range anxiety.
“Freevoy is not just a battery, it is also an investment that can generate economic returns for car owners,” Gao Huan, chief technology officer of EV business at CATL, said at the product launch in Beijing. “We expect Freevoy to take the hybrid vehicle market into a new era of higher standards.”
It’s a smart move as China’s market share of hybrids has risen over the past year with drivers seeking to overcome worries about range and cost. Plug-in hybrids are about 10% cheaper than pure EVs, with EV buyers preferring them as a safety net to ensure they can reach their destination without hiccups. All major EV assemblers in China, bar Nio, have developed extended-range EVs, or announced plans to do so, to capture rising demand.
CATL did not disclose the Freevoy battery’s price but said that 30 car models will be fitted with the product by the end of 2025. Clients will include Tesla and BMW.
