CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, on Thursday announced a new style of battery that aims to create cleaner, longer-range rechargeable hybrid vehicles. The Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery is coming to market to offer PHEVs and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) the type of zero-emission all-electric range previously reserved for battery electric vehicles. Freevoy-powered hybrids will go further with fewer refueling stops, whether they rely solely on battery power or utilize an internal combustion engine or generator. When battery power and fuel finally run out, drivers can opt for a 10-minute battery charge, refueling, or both.

At a time when consumer interest in hybrid vehicles is growing, CATL offers its newest battery as a solution to the widely cited shortcomings of PHEV and EREV. More specifically, the Freevoy battery addresses issues with insufficient range, slow charging times, and reduced performance in cold weather.

Far exceeding the single-day all-electric commute that many plug-in hybrids have been optimized for, CATL targets the Freevoy for a full week of single-charge battery-only commuting, achieving an estimated range of 249 miles (400 miles). kilometer). The company hasn’t released a Freevoy capacity to match this estimate, and any range will of course depend on the vehicle it’s in, driving conditions and other factors.

Freevoy is a “super hybrid” not just because of the means it was designed to power, but also because of its chemistry. Takes advantage of CATLs EU architectureCombining sodium ion and lithium ion batteries in a specific ratio into a single package. This improves cold weather performance, extends the low temperature range by a claimed 5% and delivers an uninterrupted riding experience down to -20°C (-4°F). Additionally, CATL says the battery is capable of discharging down to -40 °C (-40 °F) and charging down to -30 °C (-22 °F).

When it’s time to charge, the Freevoy battery utilizes CATL. 4C ultra fast charging technology absorbs 280 km range in just 10 minutes. Fast lithium ion transfer is achieved by fast ion conductive coating on the cathode, fast-charging graphite and new nano-coating technologies for the anode, multi-gradient layer electrode design and ultra-high conductivity electrolyte formulation.

CATL

Freevoy technology sounds incredible… perhaps too incredible. All that electric range, combined with ultra-fast charging, a range-extending motor-generator or full ICE powertrain, looks like it could easily overcome the point of diminishing returns. How far does the average driver really need to drive before stopping to charge or refuel? And at what point do you spend money on redundant systems to increase the range to an almost unusable figure?

CATL’s 249-mile estimate is several times greater than the current-generation PHEV ranges we’re used to. For example, in the USA, new models are fully electric series. 2023/24 PHEV models Maximum range of 51 miles (82 km, Range Rover P440e) – just over 20% of the CATL’s stated range. And this is an outlier, with most ranges being between 20 and 40 miles (32 and 64 km).

The difference is not as stark in China, where more PHEVs are achieving combined range ratings of over 621 miles (1,000 km). The all-electric component of these series varies greatly between vehicles, but the Voyah Free 318 gets the overall PHEV electric December crown It’s already about 80% of CATL’s target, with a range of 198 miles (318 km) claimed a few months ago.

So maybe 250 miles isn’t that crazy for the Chinese market.

If you don’t have a dedicated home connection and a charger at work for overnight charging, we think it would be very convenient to get through the entire calendar week, or even just the work week, on a single charge. Additionally, the additional range of an ICE will be useful for driving more than 249 miles in a given week and for longer road trips on the weekend or holiday.

It will be interesting to see whether automakers will focus on using Freevoy to increase overall range to insane numbers, or do more to shift dependence to the electric side by reducing ICE size and/or fuel capacity.

CATL says the new battery is already included in domestic models from brands such as Li Auto, Avatr and Deepl. A total of 30 hybrid vehicle models with Freevoy batteries are expected to be ready for launch by next year. Other brands planned to use the new battery include Geely, Chery, GAC and Voyah.

Source: CATL