500 KM range in 5-minutes! CATL’s new ‘Shenxing’ EV battery explained
Chinese battery giant CATL has unveiled its upgraded ‘Shenxing’ battery that can add up to 520 km of driving range with just five minutes of charging, a pace that leaves current industry standards far behind.
Announced on Monday during CATL’s Tech Day in Shanghai, the next-gen Shenxing battery raises the bar in EV performance, promising faster charging, improved cold-weather performance, and a longer overall range. The company claims the battery can deliver up to 320 miles (around 515 km) on a full charge, outpacing BYD’s latest tech, which offers 250 miles (about 400 km) of range.
What makes Shenxing stand out isn’t just its overall range but the speed with which it charges. CATL says the battery can go from 5% to 80% charge in just 15 minutes, even when temperatures drop to -10°C. In terms of pace, it delivers an incredible 2.6 km of range every second.
This superfast battery tech is already making its way into the real world. CATL confirmed that more than 67 electric vehicle models will be equipped with the Shenxing battery by the end of the year, though the company did not reveal which models.
CATL currently supplies around a third of the world’s EV batteries. It works with major global carmakers, including Tesla and General Motors, and leads the pack ahead of rivals like BYD and various South Korean and Japanese battery manufacturers.
The company also shared a glimpse into its future tech — a dual-battery system that combines two different types of cells and is expected to hit the market between 2027 and 2028. This system is being developed with a massive 1500 km range in mind. While it doesn’t charge as quickly as the Shenxing, it still supports a 30-80% top-up in 30 minutes. It also features a secondary battery designed to be more affordable and less reliant on graphite, with a different layout within the vehicle.
