Electric Vehicle Battery War With Fastest Charging: BYD And CATL For 6C Technology

JAKARTA - The electric automotive world is enlivened by the fast battery technology race. Two giant global battery manufacturers from China, BYD and CATL are competing against each other to bring batteries with the fastest charging capabilities.

CATL, a battery manufacturer from China, has announced plans to launch the Qilin Battery 2.0 battery by the end of this year. This battery is claimed to use Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) technology and support super fast charging up to 6C.

In comparison, the previous CATL battery, Shenxing, was only able to handle 5C charging. The Shenxing battery itself has been installed on the Zeekr 001 electric car capable of charging from 10 to 80 percent in just 11.5 minutes.

The latest variant, Shenxing Plus, even offers an energy density of up to 205hug, which is claimed to be capable of providing electric cars with a range of up to 1,000 km (based on CLTC standards). Unfortunately, Shenxing Plus only supports 4C charging.

As quoted from CarNewsChina, June 13, the competition is heating up with the presence of electric car manufacturer Li Auto, which has just launched its first electric car, Li Auto Mega. This future MPV-style car is equipped with a Qilin 5C battery from CATL which is claimed to be capable of charging up to 500 km within 12 minutes.

On the one hand, BYD doesn't even have a model supporting charging above 4C yet, the Shenzhen manufacturer is believed to be preparing a similar technology and will also be released later this year. BYD is known for its cautious approach, ensuring their technology matures before being officially announced.

What Is 6C Charging?

The letter "C" on battery charging refers to charging capacity chargers. For example, a battery with a capacity of 1000 mAh and a charge of 6C can be charged with a current of up to 6000 mA. Simply put, the charging figure shows how many times the battery can be fully charged within an hour.

This means that the 6C charging will theoretically allow the battery to be fully charged within 10 minutes. Meanwhile, 5C charging takes 12 minutes to fully charge.

But it should be noted, high charging speed certainly requires adequate infrastructure support. Huawei, for example, launched a 600 kW fast electric charger last February. Li Auto also plans to build 5,000 super charging stations that support 5C by 2025.

However, the reality on the ground is far from expectations. Currently, most charging stations in China only offer 120 kW of power. To achieve 4C or 5C charging, a minimum power of 360 kW is needed.

The charging station with the 4C connector is capable of achieving a maximum power of 480 kW and a maximum current of 615 A. However, the availability of this high-power charging station is still very limited, especially those that support 5C charging.