CATL and Tesla jointly develop new batteries

Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, said in an interview on March 25 that CATL is working with Tesla to develop fast-charging batteries for electric vehicles. The two sides are jointly researching battery technologies such as new electrochemical structures to speed up charging. At the same time, CATL is providing equipment for Tesla's factory in Nevada, USA.

In terms of the current mainstream battery types for new energy vehicles, CATL has released fast-charging batteries for both ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

In August 2023, CATL released the Shenxing battery, which is also the world's first lithium iron phosphate battery that supports 4C supercharging. Currently, the Shenxing battery has been launched in Chery Xingtu Xingji. Brands under Geely, GAC, Changan, Nezha, BAIC and Dongfeng and other automakers have also officially announced that they will be equipped with Shenxing batteries.

In June 2022, CATL launched the Kirin battery based on the ternary lithium battery, which has 4C supercharging and 1,000 kilometers of long-range capabilities. At the same time, CATL and Ideal Auto jointly developed the project to improve the fast charging performance of the Kirin battery to 5C, which means that the battery can be fully charged in 12 minutes. The battery will also be used on the Ideal MEGA.

It is obvious that in recent years, in addition to innovation in battery materials, CATL's focus has also been on continuously improving the fast charging performance of batteries.

This time, Zeng Yuqun revealed that one of the cooperation directions between CATL and Tesla is also fast-charging batteries. Although it has not yet been clarified what materials the jointly developed batteries are based on, we can get a glimpse of it from the cooperation history of both parties.

The cooperation between CATL and Tesla began in early 2020, when the two parties signed a supply agreement, agreeing to cooperate from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. In June 2021, CATL announced that in order to further continue and deepen the friendly cooperation between the two parties, the company and Tesla signed a contract on June 25 to supply lithium-ion power battery products to Tesla from January 2022 to December 2025.

Currently, all the lithium iron phosphate batteries used in Tesla's Shanghai factory are supplied by CATL. The cooperation between CATL and Tesla this time easily makes people think that CATL's M3P battery may be upgraded again.

According to industry speculation, the M3P battery is a battery whose positive electrode material is lithium iron manganese phosphate, but CATL stated that the M3P battery is not a lithium iron manganese phosphate battery to be precise. The battery positive electrode material also contains other metal elements. The company calls it a phosphate system ternary lithium battery.

In addition to cooperating in the development of new batteries, it is also worth noting that the two parties will jointly build a battery factory.

Although Zeng Yuqun only mentioned that CATL is providing equipment for Tesla's factory in Nevada, USA, this may also be part of CATL's technology output.

In addition to cooperating with Tesla, Zeng Yuqun also said that CATL will also actively carry out open innovation that combines inward-looking and outward-looking approaches. For example, CATL will adopt the LRS model with its American customers (CATL will license its technology to its partners and charge corresponding licensing fees and royalties) to help OEMs and even battery manufacturers quickly build battery factories.