CATL to supply Li Auto, Hozon electric car battery with a range of 1,000km as Chinese firm seeks to stay on top
- The ‘Qilin’ battery, named after a Chinese mythical creature, has a range of over 1,000km on one charge and energy density of up to 255 watt-hour per kg, CATL says
- CATL plans to start producing the long-range battery next year
The “Qilin” battery has a range of more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) on one charge, energy density of up to 255 watt-hour per kilogram, and is safer and more durable than existing cells, according to the world’s biggest maker of EV batteries. It is also 13 per cent more powerful than one planned by Tesla, a major customer of Fujian-based CATL.
The battery – named after a Chinese mythical creature – has the longest range offered by any mainstream manufacturer yet. It comes as CATL faces greater pressure to innovate and maintain its dominance, with rivals at home and abroad – from BYD and China Aviation Lithium Battery to LG Energy Solution and Panasonic Holdings – developing their own products.
Li Auto’s founder and chairman, Li Xiang, used China’s microblogging platform Weibo to draw attention to a potential battery supply deal, sharing details of CATL’s Qilin and commenting: “See you next year.”
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CATL responded: “Qilin has Li Auto.”