For decades, the biggest limiting factor for electric vehicles has been their batteries. In the past, batteries were large and inefficient, meaning that electric vehicles couldn't go very fast or far—the extra weight and limited capacity kept them from being a viable alternative to vehicles with combustion engines. Newer generations of electric vehicle have greatly improved on this design, to the point where hybrid and fully electric cars can easily compete with gas-powered transportation.
These new batteries still have their limitations, however. In a Tesla electric car, for example, each charge lasts between roughly 300 to 400 miles, with a total battery life of 300,000 to 500,000 miles overall. Now, new battery technology may supplant even the best current electric vehicle batteries on the market.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited, also known as CATL, is a Chinese company specializing in batteries. Ever since their founding, they've specialized in electric vehicle batteries, battery management systems, and energy storage. While CATL has long been a world leader in lithium-ion battery technology, they recently suffered some losses due to the rising cost of metals. This new battery breakthrough, called Qilin, stands to help them recoup these losses, and then some.
The new Qilin battery claims to offer 621 miles per full charge. An analysis of Tesla's latest 4680 battery cells showed them to have an energy density of about 244 Wh/kg, while Qilin boasts 255 Wh/kg. Qilin also claims to have a record-breaking volume efficiency of 72%.
Qilin's secret lies in its design. Rather than chaining together multiple individual modules, like regular EV batteries do, it relies on a single structure for its battery pack.
The pack itself is also built differently. CATL quadrupled the heat transfer of the Qilin battery by placing the liquid cooling element between each of the cells, instead of just on the bottom. This might seem like a small change, but it allows the battery to dissipate heat much more quickly and effectively. This means that the Qilin can charge faster, warm up more quickly in cold seasons, and maintain better control of the battery's overall temperature.
Considering the videos of current EV batteries starting fires that are difficult—if not impossible—to put out, the placement of the cooling element may also make Qilin batteries safer. When an EV battery gets too hot, it can start a process known as “thermal runaway.” This is when increased temperatures trigger the release of energy, which continues to increase the temperature. Things get hotter and hotter until they combust. For Qilin, when conditions get too extreme, it's easier to cool things down quickly and prevent abnormal heat transfer between battery cells. The end result is a much lower risk of thermal runaway.
This isn't the only way that Qilin batteries may be safer, either. Part of the problem with the batteries in electric vehicles is that they're in vehicles. Minor accidents happen, but batteries generally aren't made to handle that kind of impact. In general, the actual behavior of components like battery cells under crash conditions wasn't well-studied until recently. As a result, electric vehicles are designed to carefully protect their batteries in the event of a crash, to try to minimize any potential damage. Qilin batteries, on the other hand, are designed with an elastic sandwich layer to help improve their impact resistance. This lowers the risk of damage to the battery, which also lowers the risk of damage-induced thermal runaway.
The primary drawback of CATL's Qilin battery is that it's still building on existing battery technology. Unfortunately, the rare metals that go into these batteries aren't exactly abundant or ecologically friendly to extract. While their efficiency and safety makes them superior to existing batteries, it's still important for energy innovators to look for solutions that move electric vehicles away from lithium.
Another potential drawback is that this technology is very new. While it promises a lot, and could very well set a precedent for the manufacture of new EV batteries, it only recently entered the market in the ZEEKR 009 MPV. If and when other EV manufacturers choose to invest in Qilin batteries, they'll be put to the test under a wider variety of real-life road, usage, and climate conditions.
While electric vehicles have come a long way, there's still quite a distance to go before they're a truly sustainable solution. CATL's new Qilin battery technology offers greater efficiency and safety when compared to other EV batteries currently on the market, but time will tell if it's able to fulfill all of its promises. If it does, it may very well set a new standard for EV lithium-ion batteries.
