CATL Launches Kirin Battery, 13% More Power Than 4680 Battery

Leading Chinese battery firm Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) has launched its third generation of cell-to-pack (CTP) technology, referred to internally as the Kirin battery. The announcement was made by the company’s chief scientist, Wu Kai, in remarks during a presentation at the 2022 China EV100 Forum held on March 26 in Beijing.

He also revealed that with the same chemical system and battery pack size, the Kirin battery pack can deliver 13 percent more power compared to the 4680 battery. The new battery will be officially released in April this year.

In addition to introducing the new CTP battery, CATL also claims to have solved problems put forward by users, prompting the overall electrification process through technologies such as heat-diffusion-free batteries and combined power exchange solutions.

In terms of heat-diffusion-free battery technology, according to regulations issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in May 2020, it is required that battery systems do not catch fire or explode within five minutes after the thermal runaway of the unit cell, reserving a safe escape time for electric vehicle (EV) passengers. The company believes that corporations should regard zero heat diffusion as a design standard, as national standards are set for the lowest thresholds.

After CATL realized mass production of thermal diffusion-free technology on its 811 models in September 2020, this technology has entered the industry’s mainstream. “CATL’s 1,000-kilometer range, heat-diffusion-free battery technology will enter mass production in 2023,” Wu said.

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The firm also launched an overall solution of combined power exchange. For end users, the company’s separation of vehicles and electrical design can reduce the initial purchasing cost of EVs. Additionally, it is more economical that the number of battery packs can be decided according to actual travel demand. For vehicle companies, their models can be adapted to standard battery packs, and there is no need to build independent power exchange stations. In addition, the power exchange network can be shared. For power exchange operators, the power exchange station is compatible with different grades and various brands of vehicles.