This new Freevoy battery from CATL will apparently be fitted to over 30 hybrid models by end 2025.
While many in Malaysia have perhaps been enthralled by the recent slate of Chinese hybrid SUVs landing locally with a promise of over 1,000+ km of mixed range, these numbers may already soon be eclipsed rather soon if CATL had their way. Such is as the Chinese battery firm has recently revealed its new Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery, with the headline news being that it can enable a hybrid car to travel up to 400 km on EV power alone before even touching the fuel tank.
What more is that this latest hybrid vehicle battery from CATL also incorporates 4C superfast charging, which in the battery maker’s word equates to an additional 280 km of range on just 10-minute top up. And to those not up to speed with their battery terminology meanwhile, the C in 4C basically denotes the charge or discharge rate of a battery, with 4C meaning it can be fully charged four times in an hour.
Though perhaps the most exciting news here is for this Super Hybrid Battery to not be some product of the far-flung future, but instead is already a viable commercial product featured in various hybrid models on sale right now in China. In fact, brands that are here in Malaysia (like Geely, Chery and GAC) set to incorporate this battery into their upcoming cars by 2025.
CATL states that the development of this latest battery came about from EREVs (extended range electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) gaining prominence in the new energy vehicle market, with consumers then increasingly expressed frustration over their unsatisfactory pure electric experiences with such vehicles. The battery maker has identified that a short EV range, slow battery charging and reduced low-temperature performance were among the critical challenges demanding immediate solutions.
Delving a little bit more onto what makes this hybrid battery so special, among the (admittedly nerdy) innovations of CATL’s Freevoy battery is for it to incorporate a surface modification technology for the cathode material. This coupled with an innovative high-voltage electrolyte formulation thus creates a nano protective layer, which effectively minimises side reactions within the active layer.
The integration of high-activity, excited-state particles into the cathode material further significantly enhances transport efficiency of lithium ions within the material. Supported by the full-scene high-precision state-of-charge (SOC) model developed by CATL, as well as an upgraded BMS intelligent algorithm and hardware, the Freevoy’s SOC control accuracy has hence been increased by 40%, and the overall pure electric utilisation rate has increased by more than 10%.
At the same time too, CATL had conducted model data analysis on the charge-discharge polarisation characteristics of the battery to accurately predict the future discharge capacity of the battery, and created a multi-level power prediction and control strategy for the battery that improved the power performance of the hybrid vehicles by 20%. It has also incorporated the battery maker’s second-generation fast-charging graphite and novel nano-coating technologies for the battery’s anode, as well as a multi-gradient layered electrode design and a brand-new ultra-high conductivity electrolyte formulation, to enable the hybrids this Freevoy battery is fitted with to deliver the ultimate charging experience equal to pure electric vehicles.
Finally, sodium-ion technology also makes an appearance in CATL’s Freevoy battery to overcome limitations of operating in low temperatures. It is touted that discharge capability is possible in temperatures down to -40ºC and charging capability possible down to -30ºC, with normal operation at temperatures down to -20ºC being claimed by the battery maker too.
“Freevoy is not just a battery, it is also an investment that can generate economic returns for car owners,” said Gao Huan, chief technology officer of EV business at CATL during the product launch in Beijing. “We expect Freevoy to take the hybrid vehicle market into a new era of higher standards. The move is opportune as Chinese EV buyers have been favouring hybrids over pure EV to ensure they can reach their destination without hiccups,” he continued.
