Could China’s standard EV plants build super batteries for weapons?

Researchers say the breakthrough battery could power futuristic high energy weaponry using existing production lines

China’s car industry was directly involved in the research which was led by a university sanctioned by US government

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The Chinese research team said all of its innovations for the breakthrough battery were based on the capabilities of a mainstream EV production line. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:00pm, 19 Sep 2023

China has developed the world’s most powerful battery for high energy weapons, and it can be mass-produced in the nation’s many lithium battery plants, according to a study published in September by the Journal of Naval University of Engineering.

The researchers said the breakthrough was achieved with the direct involvement of China’s booming car industry and would advance development of next-generation weapons and improve the capabilities of the Chinese military.

The 40165 battery could be the world’s first to release energy as quickly as a supercapacitor, according to the team, led by associate researcher Yang Jiawei from the University of Electronic Science and Technology, which has been sanctioned by the US government.

Under the ban, Yang and his colleagues at the university in Chengdu, Sichuan province, cannot visit the US and are forbidden from using any American equipment or technology.

China is the largest producer of electric cars and leads the world in lithium battery technology. In the first quarter of this year, it overtook Japan to become the world’s largest car exporter, thanks to strong demand for its electric vehicles.

Chinese brands dominate the global electric vehicle supply chain, with more than three-quarters of the world’s battery production capacity located in China.

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