Chinese battery giant CATL has unveiled a new battery, claiming that it can eventually power civilian electric airplanes. That could be a game changer. But for now, CATL has offered precious few technical details about the battery.
Analysts are currently in a close watch trying to figure out what, exactly, CATLβs new technology has in store for industryβand whether it can propel the battery company to higher heights, further entrenching Chinaβs dominant position in the global battery supply chain
What is CATLβs new battery make up?βWhat do we not know yet is the cost of these cells, if any critical materials are used, how developed the supply chains for these components are, what the cycle life of the cells areβ – James Frith, lithium battery expert and a principal at the venture capital firm Volta Energy Technologies.
CATL describes its cutting-edge product as a condensed battery. That means itβs a semi-solid state battery, an emerging technology with the potential to address issues including the stability of chemical interactions and the scale of manufacturing that have held back the mass commercialization of solid state batteries.
According to Wood Mackenzie Consultancy, Semi-solid state batteries on the other hand, combine both solid and liquid electrolyte components to improve the electrolyteβs contact area with electrodes and speed up production processes.
According to CATL, its latest battery features new materials for:
* the anode (the batteryβs negative electrode)
* an ultra-high energy density cathode (the positive electrode)
* a condensed electrolyte (a conductive solution that move charge between the anode and cathode)βthough itβs unclear what exactly βcondensedβ means in CATLβs context
When will the new CATL battery hit the market?
CATL claims it can βachieve mass production of [the] condensed battery in a short period of time.β CATLβs chief scientist speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Auto Show that large-scale manufacturing can start later this year.
(Quartz news)