SVOLT promises LFP cells with charging rates of up to 5C

Battery manufacturer SVOLT, which emerged from the Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall, is specifying its strategy for the coming year. At its Battery Day in Huzhou, China, the company presented its various battery technologies and updates. The focus is primarily on the “Short Blade” battery cell series. Like the similar-sounding blade batteries from BYD, they are based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry. SVOLT began marketing these cells at the beginning of 2022, but has now improved the technology even further, according to the company. BMW is one of the potential customers.

In the BEV segment, SVOLT will launch the LFP fast-charging cells L400 and L600, which belong to the “Short-Blade” family, on the market next year. With capacities of 105 Ah, 130Ah and 133 Ah and a charging rate of up to 5C, they are designed to fulfil various requirement scenarios in the passenger car and commercial vehicle sector. In this context, the company is announcing “an upgrade of the L600 for 3C to 4C scenarios”. Series production of the improved cell is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2024.

In future, the L400 range will cover charging rates of 4C and higher in order to fulfil the requirements of 800-volt high-voltage vehicles. SVOLT has scheduled mass production for this cell for the fourth quarter of 2024.

The higher charging rates are important from the Chinese perspective, as “with the ongoing e-mobility transition, the focus of consumers has shifted from range to charging time”, as the company emphasised in an email message sent to us. “Fast charging has therefore become an essential requirement.”

From the company’s perspective, this also applies to plug-in hybrids, for which SVOLT has “comprehensively updated its best-selling 62, 90 and 117 Ah products”. We are talking about second-generation PHEV cells, which now have a charging rate of 2.2 C. “Their upgrade in 2024 will bring popular vehicle models into the era of fast charging and further strengthen SVOLT’s leading position in the PHEV market,” comments the manufacturer.

“The combination of short blade and fast charge provides a more effective solution for the battery performance demands of PHEV and BEV,” emphasises SVOLT CEO Yang Hongxin. The trend is towards high-voltage products for electric vehicles, and the cell capacity is developing towards 100 to 150Ah. “SVOLT’s short blade fast charge batteries outperform conventional ones in terms of volume utilization rate, recycling, and safety. In addition, they offer exceptional compatibility and suitability, making them a superior choice for CTC design.”

Other innovations presented by the company at Battery Day included a standardised “short-blade” battery pack for commercial vehicles called “Basalt”, new solutions for stationary energy storage systems and a sodium-ion battery that will enable a range of 350 kilometres in electric cars and, in a further variant, serve as a component of a stationary energy storage system. SVOLT also announced the second generation of its “Jelly” semi-solid-state battery. A prototype is currently under development, it said.

Quelle: Infos via email, svolt-eu.com