On June 23, CATL officially released their third-generation CTP technology, also known as the Kirin battery, through a video.
We can summarize the highlights of CATL’s CTP 3.0 technology and the Kirin battery as follows:
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Volume utilization rate exceeds 72%;
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The energy density of ternary batteries can reach 255 Wh/kg, and the energy density of lithium iron phosphate battery systems can be increased to 160 Wh/kg;
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The vehicle can achieve a range of 1,000 kilometers;
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Under the same chemical system and battery pack size, the energy capacity of the Kirin battery pack can be increased by 13% compared to the 4680 system.
How did CATL achieve this?
- The horizontal and vertical beams, water-cooling plate, and insulation pad are integrated into a multifunctional elastic sandwich, and low-expansion battery cells are used to maximize their use in limited space;
Here we need to emphasize the core idea of CTP, which is to simplify or even eliminate the module. Therefore, we can see in the rendered image that the common modules have been eliminated by using square-shell battery cells arranged in a horizontal and vertical pattern.
- Placing the water-cooling function between the battery cells can increase the heat exchange area by four times, enabling 5-minute quick heating and 10-minute fast charging (SOC 10-80%);
- The Kirin battery will be mass-produced and launched in 2023.
Finally, I must say that CATL’s CTP Kirin battery and chocolate battery are both preparatory steps for battery swapping. However, big corporations like this will not bet on a single direction since battery swapping and supercharging are still controversial. Therefore, CATL has clearly stated on their official website that they have also reserved the CTC technology, which also supports a 1,000-kilometer range.
After reposting Ningde Times official Weibo, Li Xiang reposted it and commented “See you next year!” It is clear that next year, Li Xiang’s pure electric vehicle model will be equipped with Ningde Times’ Kirin battery.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.