CATL, the world leader in batteries, has just presented an evolution of its two flagship batteries: the Qilin and the Shenxing. On the program: a range of 1,000 km with ultra-powerful motors and recharging in 10 minutes. Bonus: the brand implicitly announces that the Xiaomi SU7 will benefit from it first. Here’s what to expect.
Xiaomi seems to have succeeded in communicating around its first electric car, the SU7. Its presentation at the end of 2023 gave us the first figures (impressive, by the way), but we were still missing a lot of information.
Batteries, in particular, were a subject on which Xiaomi paid little attention. Fortunately, CATL, the world leader in electric car batteries, has just presented on Weibo improvements to its two flagship products, the Kirin and the Shenxing, and implies that the SU7 will be the first to benefit from them.
Some developments
It is important to know that these two batteries are already marketed, and the Zeekr 001 benefits from this following its extensive update. But the Xiaomi SU7 should benefit from a new generation.
Concerning the Shenxin, CATL announces having increased its energy density by more than 10%, bringing the maximum autonomy to 800 km on the Chinese CLTC cycle (i.e. approximately 715 km on the WLTP cycle, more realistic). Likewise, the yield is refined, increasing to 77.8%.
The Qilin, for its part, impresses with its maximum discharge power, increased to 1,000 hp (enough to power engines of the same power), while maintaining priority on safety. According to the brand, the size of the heat dissipation zone has been multiplied by four, making it possible to promise an absence of heat propagation, even at 55°C.
The brand concludes its Weibo post with a discreet “the first production model will be announced this evening [le 28 mars 2024, NDLR] »to which the Xiaomi Auto account responded: ” See you tonight “. A nice clue, then.
Remarkable performance
In any case, these two packs are similar on several points. They do not share the same chemistry, namely LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) for the Shenxing and NMC for the Qilin, but they share an 800 volt architecture, capable of promising express recharges: Xiaomi announces 200 kilometers regained in 5 minutes, and even 510 kilometers in 15 minutes.
On the chassis side, these packs will be CTB type, for “cell to body” ; understand that the battery is an integral part of the chassis, which is very good for limiting the size and bulk (especially in height) of the pack, but which can pose a problem in the event of repairs.
By pushing the technology to the limit, the Modena platform of the SU7 could accommodate a battery with a capacity of up to 150 kWh, enough to tickle the 1,250 km of CLTC autonomy in a single charge. Another 132 kWh pack would be more feasible, and could reach the magic bar of 1,000 km of CLTC autonomy.
Huge packs for autonomy that are just as huge… and which are not necessarily necessary: according to the boss of Xiaomi himself, the “basic” version of the SU7, equipped with a battery of 73.6 kWh, can already travel 495 km on the motorway in real conditions which, combined with express charging, already makes long journeys absolutely transparent.