- A mixture of lithium-ion and sodium-ion chemistries allows for improved cold weather performance
- It could allow an electric range of 200 miles or more, and get 70% of full range in just 10 minutes on fast chargers
- It has overcome the longevity issues of earlier sodium-ion packs
Chinese battery company CATL on Thursday launched a mixed chemistry battery for plug-in hybrids which the company says offers greater range, faster charging, and better cold weather performance.
The CATL Freevoy battery can give plug-in hybrids up to 248 miles of all-electric range (probably in the Chinese test cycle), and up to 173 miles of range (70% of that) alone 10 minutes of DC fast chargingaccording to a company report.
Right out of the box, that's quite a difference compared to most plug-in hybrids on the US market, which can take hours to charge their electric range.
CATL at the Frankfurt Motor Show
The increase in range is partly due to Advanced battery management software. CATL claims that the state of charge can now be controlled with 40% greater accuracy, which translates into a 10% increase in overall electricity consumption. CATL has also introduced a new technology that creates a “nano protective layer” for the cathode material, as well as a new electrolyte formula, for better lithium ion transfer.
The Freevoy battery also uses a a combination of lithium-ion and sodium-ion chemistrieswhich helps performance remain constant in cold temperatures, according to CATL. Compared to the previous generation, it is a 5% improvement in cold weather range-although you can be sure that the total loss is still more than that.
BMW iX prototype to use the Our Next Energy hybrid battery
CATL said the Freevoy battery is already there used in Chinese market cars from Li Auto, Avatr, Deepal, Changan Nevo, and Neta. By 2025, the company says 30 models of Chinese brands including Geely, Chery, GAC, and Voyah will be using this battery.
Such a battery could also be useful in the US to meet California's stringent 2035 emissions standards, which require plug-in hybrids with at least 50 miles of electric range.
US startup Our Next Energy (ONE) has also developed hybrid battery technology, which by 2022 could provide a range of 600 miles. Toyota in 2023 revealed that they were trying to push the range of electric PHEVs beyond 120 miles, but it is not clear what technology they will use to achieve that.