BEIJING, April 21 (Reuters) – China’s CATL on Tuesday launched its latest-generation flagship battery, featuring technological advancements that enable a lighter battery pack to deliver 1,000-km (621-mile) driving range per charge.
Gao Huan, CATL’s chief technology officer, said the new Qilin battery was designed to address growing demand from automakers facing increasingly stringent energy efficiency regulations both in China and abroad.
The company also launched an upgraded Shenxing battery capable of being charged from 10% to 98% in less than 7 minutes.
The Chinese battery giant is leveraging the launch of its latest battery technologies ahead of the Beijing Auto Show, to be kicked off on Friday, to set industry benchmarks and align with policy directives that prioritise value over volume in the supply chain.
Chinese automakers are also gaining ground in the premium segment, ramping up competition with traditional automakers by courting affluent consumers once drawn to the quality of German-branded vehicles.
Companies such as Seres , Leapmotor , and Dongfeng Nissan have promoted CATL as their battery supplier in marketing campaigns for new electric vehicle (EV) models.
EV batteries remain the primary revenue driver for CATL, which has retained its global leadership by serving a diverse range of customers, including Tesla, Xiaomi, and Toyota.
According to SNE Research, CATL increased its market share in global EV battery usage to 42.1% in the first two months of the year, up from 38.7% during the same period last year.
(Reporting by Zhang Yan, David Dolan and Louise Heavens)
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