Date: 2026-02-26 hits: 108
While the industry is still debating the trade-off between fast charging and long battery life, CATL says: Adults don't make choices.
Recently, the power battery industry has been abuzz with a technological bombshell.
CATL recently announced its new generation 5C ultra-fast charging long-life battery: after 3000 charge-discharge cycles at room temperature, its capacity retention rate still exceeds 80%, corresponding to a total driving range of approximately 1.8 million kilometers; even in the scorching heat of a "Dubai summer" at 60°C, its capacity remains robust at 80% after 1400 cycles, equivalent to 840,000 kilometers.
Simply put, this is a battery that may be more durable than a car.
How does the battery achieve "fast and long-lasting" performance?
Don't be intimidated by the technical term "5C." C is a unit of charge-discharge rate; 5C means it can be fully charged in 12 minutes—enough time to drink a cup of coffee.
But the real killer feature isn't "fast," but "fast and long-lasting."
What is the current industry average? According to CATL, this battery's lifespan is six times the industry average. Before this, "fast charging damages batteries" was almost an ironclad rule. The high temperatures, lithium dendrites, and material degradation caused by supercharging were the number one killers of battery life.
How did CATL break through the bottleneck?
First, the "armor" of the cathode material—a denser and more uniform coating process suppresses structural degradation and metal ion dissolution under high-rate charge and discharge. You can think of it as giving the battery's cathode a wear-resistant nanoscale armor.
Second, the "self-repair" of the electrolyte—a self-developed repair additive that can automatically identify and seal micron-level cracks during operation, while reducing irreversible loss of active lithium. This is like putting a "band-aid" on the battery, allowing minor injuries to heal themselves.
Third, the "temperature sensing" of the separator—a temperature-responsive agent sprayed on the separator surface automatically reduces the ion migration rate when the local temperature rises abnormally, providing self-regulation and protection. This is equivalent to installing an "automatic fire extinguishing system" on the battery, preventing problems before they occur.
Finally, there's the precise temperature control of the upgraded BMS (Battery Management System)—when a part of the battery pack becomes too hot, the coolant can be directed to the hot spot area, achieving "point-to-point" heat dissipation, with the temperature difference controlled within ±2°C.
This is a complete system engineering project. In CATL's words, the battery life "may exceed that of the entire vehicle itself."
How many more "trump cards" does CATL have up its sleeve?
In the past two years, although CATL's market share has slightly declined, its technology has clearly entered a period of explosive growth, releasing a major breakthrough almost every few months. Here's a brief overview:
In April 2025, on the eve of the Shanghai Auto Show, CATL released several new technologies.
The second-generation Shenxing superchargeable battery: This is the most direct surprise for ordinary consumers. It boasts a peak charging rate of 12C, a peak power exceeding 1.3 MW, a 5-minute charge providing 520km of range, and a 30-second charge providing 75km (2.5km per second). Even at -10°C, it only takes 15 minutes to charge from 5% to 80%.
More importantly, this is a lithium iron phosphate battery. Its cost is significantly lower than ternary lithium batteries, yet it achieves fast-charging performance that even ternary lithium batteries struggle to match.
Sodium-ion battery: The world's first mass-produced sodium-ion power battery. The advantages of sodium batteries lie in their lower cost, more abundant resources, and better low-temperature performance. CATL's newly released sodium-ion battery for passenger vehicles offers a range of approximately 200 kilometers for hybrid models and 500 kilometers for pure electric models.
This is not only a technological reserve but also a consideration for supply chain security. In the event of another surge in lithium prices, sodium-ion batteries serve as a Plan B.
The Xiaoyao Dual-Core Battery: Designed specifically for range-extended/hybrid vehicles, it features a pioneering "electric-electric range extender" technology—intelligently switching between two energy zones, dynamically allocating power based on vehicle status and driving habits. The Trumpchi S9, equipped with this battery, is already on the market.
At the Munich Motor Show in September 2025, CATL unveiled the Shenxing Pro Battery: a powerful tool for the European market, boasting an ultra-long lifespan of 12 years/1 million kilometers, a 478-kilometer range with just 10 minutes of charging, and uninterrupted charging speed even at -20°C. Even more impressively, the battery capacity decays by only 9% after 200,000 kilometers.
The NP3.0 safety technology platform represents the highest level of battery safety, suppressing flames and smoke and preventing heat spread in the event of thermal runaway, while maintaining stable high-voltage output for over an hour. This is crucial for the highly reliable power supply of future L3 and L4 autonomous driving.
Furthermore, although solid-state batteries are not yet in mass production, CATL has clearly stated that it will start mass production in 2027. Using the sulfide route, the energy density is 500-1000Wh/kg, the range exceeds 2000 kilometers, and charging takes only 10 minutes. The laboratory cycle life has reached 500 cycles, and the mass production target is over 1000 cycles.
Summary
After reviewing this series of strategic moves, you'll realize that CATL is no longer just selling batteries, but defining the infrastructure standards for electric mobility.
From 5C ultra-fast charging and long-life batteries addressing "fast charging anxiety," to sodium batteries solving "resource anxiety," to solid-state batteries addressing "ultimate form factor anxiety," and then to NP3.0 addressing "safety anxiety"—CATL is building a battery empire covering all scenarios, all price ranges, and all technological routes.
Some say this is technological infighting; others say it's CATL building a moat for itself amidst industry overcapacity and price wars.
Regardless, when 12-minute charging and 1.8 million-kilometer lifespan can coexist, the last psychological barrier to electric vehicles replacing gasoline vehicles is being removed.
