The race is on to make the electric vehicle experience as convenient as owning gas-powered cars. China’s battery giants are in a head-to-head battle on that front. BYD recently unveiled its Super-e Platform, which can add 248 miles (400 kilometers) of range in five minutes. Now just days before Auto Shanghai—which is set to be bigger than any recent American auto show in scale and excitement—CATL claims it has outpaced BYD’s charging speeds.
Welcome back to Critical Materials, your daily roundup of the biggest stories shaping the future of electric cars and tech. Also on deck today: Tesla will report its first-quarter earnings on Tuesday and shareholders will want answers about its progress on robotaxis, sliding global sales and delays to its long-promised affordable EV. But not every market is cooling. In at least one country, Tesla is still holding strong, thanks mostly to a lack of compelling alternatives.
30%: CATL’s Auto Shanghai Battery Blitz
Photo by: CATL
The world’s largest battery maker made big announcements ahead of Auto Shanghai. Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL)—which supplies batteries to Tesla, Ford, General Motors and more—just unveiled three major innovations.
First up is the second-gen Shenxing lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which it claims charges even faster than BYD’s new Super-e Platform. It also announced the “Freevoy Dual Power Battery,” which combines two packs for a whopping 932-mile range. And finally, a world first: a sodium-ion EV battery, aimed at better cold weather performance and diversifying beyond lithium.
BYD’s megawatt charging battery shook the auto industry when it was revealed last month, even prompting automakers like Hyundai to start developing its own cells—vertical integrations help companies speed up research and development. Now CATL clearly has no interest in being number two, so it has revealed a battery with a maximum charging power exceeding 1.3 megawatts.
CATL’s second-gen Shenxing LFP battery can deliver a range of 497 miles on a single charge and is capable of charging at a rate of 12C. For reference, a rate of 1C translates into one hour of charging time, whereas 2C is 30 minutes.
This new 12C battery can add 2.5 kilometers of range per second allowing drivers to get 323 miles of range in just five minutes of charging—more than BYD’s 248 miles in around the same time. Even at -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), it can go from 5% to 80% in just 15 minutes.
As InsideEVs previously reported, a five-minute charging time is more of a nice-to-have thing than a critical necessity. Charging time between 10-15 minutes for a 20-80% charge tends to be the sweet spot, with typical refreshment breaks taking that long anyway. But for drivers in a rush, hyper-fast charging speeds that take just as long as filling up a gas tank could be useful.
The next big announcement is the Freevoy Dual Power Battery that combines two batteries into one big pack. The company likened this concept to dual-engine aircraft, with one main energy area and an extended-range battery also in the same pack. The range extension zone of the battery uses different cell materials, with no graphite in the anode.
And finally, it also revealed the world’s first mass-production sodium-ion battery, which can deliver 124 miles of range on plug-in hybrids and 310 miles of range on EVs. Unlike lithium-ion cells, sodium-ion batteries are theoretically more resistant to extreme temperatures. CATL said it can maintain 93% of usable capacity even at -30C (-22F) and even charge from 30% to 80% in 30 minutes in those temperatures.
Don’t expect any of this tech to hit U.S. shores anytime soon. While CATL could eventually license its innovations to American automakers, trade tensions are running high. China has already halted exports of rare earths and magnets to the U.S. as the tariff war drags on. Without a breakthrough deal, China may prefer to keep the good stuff at home.
60%: Tesla To Face Tough Questions At Earnings Call
Photo by: Theottle
Tesla will hold its quarterly earnings call on Tuesday and is expected to face tough questions about its dwindling sales worldwide and whether its Robotaxi launch plans are still on schedule. The automaker is facing a historic sales slump amid CEO Elon Musk’s role in the government and a growing number of new and affordable models from Tesla’s competitors.
One analyst told Reuters that the global debuts at the Auto Shanghai could hurt Tesla sales even further as a dozen “Model Y killers” are expected amid a “tsunami of pressure” as Chinese automakers reveal high-quality and low-cost alternatives at a rapid clip.
The automaker is nonetheless having a busy year. Deliveries of the refreshed Model Y are now underway in the U.S. and many other countries. Musk said a driverless ride-hailing service will launch in Austin in June this year. But such announcements tend to get delayed nearly every single time in typical Tesla fashion. Tesla engineers have also hinted that upgrades are coming to the Model X and Model S.
My guess is that Tesla executives will likely shift the focus on AI and humanoid robots as they have on recent earnings calls, rather than sharing any concrete updates on its passenger vehicle business, robotaxi plans or how it would make the Full-Self Driving software actually safe for humans.
90%: Tesla Sales Grow In Japan
Photo by: Andrei Nedelea
Tesla isn’t losing ground in all markets, though. Things are looking up in Japan with some notable growth in the first quarter.
Tesla doesn’t release regional sales figures, but Nikkei reported on Monday citing data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association that an import category labeled “others” grew 56% in the first quarter, reaching 2,120 units. March saw an 89% growth. The outlet reported that Tesla usually makes up for most of the vehicles in this ambiguous category.
Japan has been conservative in its EV adoption. Buyers there have few options, like the aging Nissan Leaf and the Toyota bZ4x, which hasn’t really struck a chord with the masses. The refreshed Model Y and Model 3 are far superior comparatively.
This growth may not be sustainable. Both BYD and Hyundai recently launched new models in Japan this year. BYD brought the Model Y-rivalling Sealion 07 and Hyundai now sells its cheapest EV, the $18,000 Inster EV in the country. Plus, the new generation Nissan Leaf and upgraded Toyota EVs are also expected to launch in the country soon.
100%: Should CATL Be Allowed To Sell Its EV Tech In The U.S.?
Photo by: CATL
Even before the Trump era, the U.S. had strict barriers on Chinese auto imports, including a 100% tariff. Now, that’s been bumped to 145%. Meanwhile, Chinese companies are making undeniable technological leaps: 5-minute charging, ultra-long-range batteries and game-changing tech for EVs and PHEVs.
Should the U.S. ease import restrictions and let some of this cutting-edge tech in? Should American automakers license more innovations from CATL, BYD and others to stay competitive?
Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
