CATL’s New PHEV Battery Offers Up to 400 KM of EV Range

CATL’s new Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery promises to offer plug-in hybrids up to 400 KM of EV-only range.

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are often touted as the great bridge between full-combustion vehicles and battery EVs (BEVs), as they offer some degree of EV driving experience, albeit with relatively short all-electric driving ranges. However, things are about to change once and for all, as CATL has unveiled its next-gen hybrid battery system that offers exceptional EV range performance.

Known as the CATL Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery, this new battery tech promises to offer PHEVs up to 400 KM of EV-only range. Although said figure was based on the more lenient CLTC standards, that is still quite impressive and almost equal range as most BEVs nowadays.

On top of that, CATL also said that the Freevoy battery can support 4C superfast charging, meaning that a quick 10-minute charging stop can provide drivers with up to 280 KM of EV range, which again makes them almost equal to their BEV counterparts.

Part of the reason behind the stellar performance of this new battery is due to the use of advanced materials and cutting-edge battery chemistry. According to CATL, the Freevoy battery uses a unique sodium-lithium chemical compound, which allows it to discharge in extremely cold temperatures as low as -40°C and charge in conditions as low as -30°C.

Apart from that, the Freevoy battery also incorporates a “surface modification technology for the cathode material, coupled with an innovative high-voltage electrolyte formulation, to create a nanoprotective layer.” For safety, the Freevoy battery is also equipped with the NP2.0 technology, which includes active smoke isolation and a high-pressure system.

Besides PHEVs, the Freevoy battery can also be used on range-extender EVs (REEVs), with this new development meant to cater to the growing demand for both types of vehicles, as they offer more flexibility and range compared to conventional BEVs.

The new CATL Freevoy battery is set to make its debut in no less than 30 PHEVs and REEVs as early as next year, with brands like Chery, SAIC Motor, Geely, and GAC in the forefront to feature this new battery tech in their upcoming models.