CATL

Ford’s EV Crisis: Why the F-150 Lightning Is Stalled, and China’s Battery Monopoly Could Be to Blame

by
Ford’s EV Crisis: Why the F-150 Lightning Is Stalled, and China’s Battery Monopoly Could Be to Blame

September 3, 2024, Marshall, Michigan — In 2024, Ford Motor Company announced a significant reduction in the production of its F-150 Lightning, the electric variant of its best-selling pickup truck. The decision comes as sales of the Lightning have plummeted, largely due to its higher price compared to its gasoline-powered counterpart. This challenge is not … Read more

The Reality of 10-Minute EV Charging: Are We There Yet?

by
In recent years, the fear of running out of battery, known as "range anxiety," has significantly diminished for electric vehicle (EV) owners. Thanks to the widespread availability of charging stations, EV drivers can now easily find a place to power up. The focus has now shifted to charging speeds, with the goal of juicing up batteries as quickly as possible. Innovations in battery technology have brought us closer to ultra-fast charging, with some systems promising to fully charge a battery in less than 15 minutes. Leading the charge in this field are two of the world’s largest battery manufacturers: BYD and CATL. Both companies have announced new fast-charging EV batteries that claim to reach a full charge in just 10 minutes—a feat that could outshine current competitors, which typically reach only 80% in similar timeframes. Breakthroughs in Battery Technology CATL has announced that it will begin manufacturing its 6C-capable Chilin 2.0 batteries by the end of 2024, while BYD's Blade 2.0 batteries are set to debut in the second half of 2024. On paper, these advancements seem like a significant step forward in EV technology, promising to revolutionize the way we think about charging times. The Big Catch However, there’s a major caveat to these ultra-fast charging claims: they require extremely high-powered chargers, capable of delivering over 650 kW of power. This is where the dream of a 10-minute charge begins to falter. In the United States, even Tesla's most advanced Superchargers max out at 250 kW—less than half the power needed to fully charge BYD or CATL's new batteries in the promised 10 minutes. The situation isn’t much better in China, the home country of both BYD and CATL, where most fast chargers are rated at just 120 kW. As a result, the more realistic charge time for these batteries would be closer to 30 minutes—a significant improvement, but still far from the promised 10-minute quick charge. The Future of Ultra-Fast Charging While the technology to achieve a full charge in 10 minutes exists, it’s not yet accessible to the general public. Charging infrastructure capable of delivering the necessary power is still in its infancy, making these ultra-fast charging times more of a theoretical possibility than a practical reality.

In recent years, the fear of running out of battery, known as “range anxiety,” has significantly diminished for electric vehicle (EV) owners. Thanks to the widespread availability of charging stations, EV drivers can now easily find a place to power up. The focus has now shifted to charging speeds, with the goal of juicing up … Read more