Catl unveils ev battery charging to 80 percent in under four minutes

Tuesday 21 April 2026 - 15:40

By: Dakir Madiha

Catl unveils ev battery charging to 80 percent in under four minutes

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited has introduced its third generation Shenxing lithium iron phosphate battery, claiming charging speeds that surpass current market benchmarks. The announcement was made during the company’s Super Tech Day 2026 event in Beijing, positioning the new technology ahead of competing systems such as BYD’s Blade Battery.

According to specifications presented at the event, the battery can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in 3 minutes and 44 seconds, and reach 98 percent in 6 minutes and 27 seconds. A partial charge from 10 percent to 35 percent takes about one minute. The system also maintains strong performance in extreme conditions, reaching 98 percent charge in nine minutes at minus 30 degrees Celsius. CATL stated that the battery retains more than 90 percent of its health after 1,000 fast charging cycles.

The launch reflects a rapid pace of development for the Shenxing series. The first generation, introduced in 2023, was presented as the first LFP battery capable of ultra fast 4C charging, offering 400 kilometers of range in 10 minutes. A second generation followed in 2025 with higher performance, delivering up to 800 kilometers of range and enabling 520 kilometers of driving after five minutes of charging. A Shenxing Pro variant tailored for European markets was later unveiled in Munich, incorporating enhanced safety features.

The third generation marks another step change, cutting charging times significantly compared with previous models and reinforcing CATL’s focus on reducing one of the main barriers to electric vehicle adoption. The company described the 2026 event as its most technology intensive launch to date, also previewing progress in sodium ion and condensed electrolyte battery systems.

The announcement comes as CATL strengthens its dominance in the global battery market. Data from China’s passenger car association show the company’s domestic battery production share reached 50.1 percent in the first quarter of 2026, surpassing the 50 percent threshold for the first time in five years. In the ternary NMC segment in China, CATL controls more than 80 percent of the market. BYD, which has shifted fully to LFP chemistry, held 17.5 percent of the domestic market during the same period.

Globally, CATL and BYD together accounted for more than half of the electric vehicle battery market at the start of 2026, with CATL holding 42.1 percent and BYD 13.4 percent. Competition remains intense as other manufacturers accelerate development. Companies such as Sunwoda have introduced rival technologies, including batteries capable of full charging in under ten minutes, underscoring a fast evolving race to redefine charging standards.