Does China own the EV battery market? One may be forgiven for thinking that lithium batteries have problems that cloud their future. Battery makers worldwide are struggling to solve these problems, but China seems to have taken the lead in breakthroughs.
One of the country’s biggest competitors may be Finland’s Donut Lab, which has been promoting its 400-Watt-hour-per-kilogram cells, claiming the ability to be recharged 100,000 times. Chinese competition may not disprove these claims, but seem to up the ante.
A Chinese Consortium
China may have a much bigger competitor in personnel and resources with its consortium of battery and automotive manufacturers. CASIP, or the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform. CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited). is probably the largest company involved, with 37.9 percent of the 2024 total world battery market in its sales profile. Other battery manufacturers include CALB, EVE Energy, SVOLT, Gotion High-Tech, and BYD’s battery subsidiary, FinDreams Battery. Several state-owned auto makers are involved, as well as private companies BYD (Build Your Dream) and Nio. According to a report by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, influential state-backed funds are also listed as members of CASIP.
The Consortium’s overall goal is “To develop and produce competitive solid-state batteries and establish a supply chain by 2030,” according to Nikkei.
Beyond the drive to capture the solid-state market, battery makers are also going after the lower-cost, lower-energy-density market for sodium-ion batteries. We’ll begin a series of entries on China’s battery makers with the largest three, including one that has an immediate entry in the aviation world.
The Leaders
Chinesemfg.com lists these three companies as the overall leaders in production and sales. We will start with these and examine other major companies in future entries.
- CATL: Renowned for high-performance EV batteries.
- BYD Company Limited: Major player in the market.
- CALB: Expanding production for better market reach.
We’re going to restrict our focus to the most advanced, high-performance cells and their lower-performance, cheaper sodium offerings available from these companies.
CATL
Since CATL is the biggest dog in the pack, we’ll start with their announcement that their cells can now deliver up to one million miles of driving, even with fast 5C charging.
Comparing this set of claims with those for Donut Lab’s cells is of interest. CATL’s pack requires a fairly sophisticated cooling system, while Donut Lab managed air cooling with a pair of fans. This for a relatively small pack in a motorcycle. Will there be heat issues with larger packs at the automobile level?
CALB
CALB (China Aviation Lithium Battery). a Chinese battery maker, has about six percent of the total battery market, but is noteworthy for having their cells in an actual flying aircraft. CALB will supply cylindrical cells, designated R46, for this hybrid air and land system being created by Aridge, formerly known as Xpeng Aeroht (which only looks like a misprint).
The batteries, produced to aviation standards, will power the “flying car,” an electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) craft. The flight vehicles will “dock” on a “Land Aircraft Carrier,” a three-axle transporter that houses the electric power train for ground travel, and which recharges the eVTOL between flights. Aridge claims an energy density of up to 360 Watt-hours per kilogram for the hybrid cells. which combine liquid and solid electrolytes. Electrive reports this pairing results from a “high nickel content in the cathode and a high silicon content in the anode. CALB specifies a maximum discharge rate of 25C.” That discharge rate enables high-power lift-offs and extended range in the same package.
Chinese safety standards seem high for aviation cells, and the batteries survived a drop test from 15.2 meters (49.8 feet) “without catching fire or leaking fluids.” CALB reports testing of 100,000 cells “to meet ‘both automotive regulations and aviation airworthiness certifications.’”
Just to show this is a real set of machines, we include this video with one of the more enthusiastic reporters we’ve seen.
Sodium Ion Batteries
CATL has two types of sodium-Ion batteries, with one designed as a large truck starter unit. The other, NAXTRA, slated for use in smaller electric vehicles, stores 175 Watt-hours per kilogram, half that of the best lithium-ion cells, less than those that a few years ago, flew on Solar Impulse. Continued development may bring energy density up to that level, though.
Sodium batteries work well in extreme cold, maintaining a great deal of their capacity at sub-freezing temperatures. This would be advantageous at high altitudes. They are also safer, resisting lithium’s volatility – a concern for aerial vehicles. Prices in the $25 per kilowatt-hour seem to be on the horizon. Compare that to over $125 per kW-hr. for the least expensive lithium cells.
Even more favorable on the economic front, a claimed a 10,000 cycle lifespan would ensure that these battery packs would outlast the vehicles in which they were installed. As noted in the video, that’s 1.5 million miles, far more than the 200,000 miles most cars survive. Think of the budget energy walls home owners could install at extremely reduced costs.
BYD (Build Your Dream)
BYD’s solid state battery is at least a year away at the pilot stage, so we’ll concentrate on currently available offerings.
Blade 2.0
BYD is one of China’s largest auto makers, and a major battery producer for electric vehicles. Its new Blade 2 battery offers fast charging and great range.
BYD’s LInkedin page claims, “The newly unveiled Blade Battery 2.0 isn’t just an incremental upgrade. With a lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) cathode, a silicon‑carbon anode, and a re‑engineered solid electrolyte interphase,” BYD lists better performance and faster charging for the new cells.
Electrek reports that BYD’s “flash charging system can charge a pack from 10 percent to 70 percent in just five minutes, and all the way to 97 percent in nine minutes. BYD’s CEO, Wang Chuanfu explained…that charging to 97% is recommended to save the remaining 3% for regenerative braking.”
“Even in frigid temperatures as low as -30°C (-20°F) for a full 24 hours, BYD said its new battery can still recharge from 20% to 97% in 12 minutes. In normal conditions, vehicles equipped with the Blade Battery 2.0, can recharge 30% to 50% faster than current EVs.” IEST.com reports the Blade 2.0 can operate in temperatures from -35 degrees C (-31F) to 55 degrees C (131 F).
The Electric Viking shares his thoughts on how BYD might shake up the market with it expanding line of cars and its much-improved 2.0 battery system. A bit confusingly, Blades come in two versions, long and short. T
BYD not only crafts cars and builds batteries, but provides a 1,500 kW flash-charging network that can live up to their performance levels. Charging is enhanced by three factors, according to the company.
- “the ‘Flash-Release’ cathode features a directionally engineered, multi-level particle-size architecture that enables dense packing and rapid deintercalation.
- “the ‘Flash-Flow’ electrolyte uses AI-driven precision optimisation to deliver high ionic conductivity and fast ion mobility
- “the ‘Flash-Intercalate’ anode has a multi-dimensional lithium-insertion site construction, allowing 360° 3D high-speed lithium-ion intercalation.
“Together, these technologies mean significantly reduced internal resistance, cutting heat generation at the source.”
James Bond’s New Car
BYD’s Denza Luxury Car line has created a car good enough to cause James Bond to forsake his Jaguars and Aston-Martins. This could be his next ride, according to movie insiders.
Daniel Craig is on tour promoting the Chinee EV Denza GT0
BYD’s Sodium Efforts
Electrive reports, “The company has now announced that it is advancing the development of its third-generation sodium-ion battery platform. The technology is expected to enable up to 10,000 charge cycles, with market introduction dependent on customer demand and application plans, as reported by Car News China.”
CALB (Chinese Aviation Lithium Battery)
Solid State
Appealing if for nothing more than its name, CALB is working hard to be the third of the Big Three Chinese battery companies. NotebookCheck.net explains , “Upon presenting its new 60 Ah solid-state battery cell that would allow doubling the typical electric vehicle range, battery maker CALB has warned about the high costs of manufacturing it.” The company claims costs of 12 cents per Watt-hour compared to 6 cents per W-hr. for liquid-electrolyte cells. How lojg this premium will prevail whether the price differential will matter in a private enterprise currently displaying a 12-rotor eVOL autonomous commuter that will use CALB solid-state cells.
The editor of carnewschina.com comments that, “CALB’s 60 Ah solid-state battery weighs under 500 g, about 75% lighter than today’s 2.0 kg LFP cells. The leap comes from replacing bulky graphite anodes with high-capacity lithium-metal or silicon-composite systems.” He notes that simplified “dry” packs made possible with solid-state technology, could result in “potential savings of 200–300 kg (440 to 660 pounds) in long-range sedans.”
The company plans on introducing 450 Wh/kg. cells for “humanoid robots” and eVTOL aircraft use late this year, followed by “small-batch automotive” applications next year.
CALB seems to have no significant entry in the sodium battery category.
A Handy Conversion Link
Use this site to make easy conversions behind the different national test cycles to determine mileage claims. The CLTC (China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle) relies on lower speeds to get increased milaage. 1,000 CLTC kilometers convert to 702 EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) kilometers because of more highly stressed requirements for the EPA test cycle.
https://www.ev-range.org /
More to Come
These are only three of numerous battery makers pursuing these lines of researdh and development. We’ll continue to sort out the many Chiinese, and also American and European approaches to the burgeoning options.