On October 24, 2024, CATL launched Freevoy Super Hybrid Battery, the world's first hybrid vehicle battery to achieve a pure electric range of over 400 kilometers and 4C superfast charging, heralding a new era for high-capacity EREV and PHEV batteries.
EREVs (extended range electric vehicles) and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) are gaining prominence in the new energy vehicle market, due to their combined advantages of pure electric and traditional fuel vehicles. According to statistics from China Passenger Car Association, from January to September of this year, the total retail volume of EREVs and PHEVs reached 3.008 million units, accounting for 42.2% of the domestic NEV (new energy vehicle) market. The year-on-year growth rate of EREVs and PHEVs reached 78.3%, far higher than the 17.7% year-on-year growth rate of pure electric vehicles (BEVs). However, a series of energy replenishment issues faced by EREVs and PHEVs, such as short range, slow charging, and reduced low-temperature performance, have emerged as critical challenges demanding immediate solutions.
Designed for hybrid vehicles of EREVs and PHEVs, CATL's Freevoy frees drivers from the constant need to charge, a common drawback of existing hybrid vehicles, offering the convenience of one charge to power an entire week's commute. Additionally, it delivers impressive charging speeds, providing over 280 kilometers of range on 10 minutes of charging, effectively dispelling range anxiety for EREV and PHEV owners.
Behind the remarkable range and ultra-fast charging are continuous technological breakthroughs. Gao Huan, CTO of CATL's China E-car Business, gave an in-depth presentation on the innovative features of the Freevoy during the launch event.
The Freevoy incorporates a surface modification technology for the cathode material, coupled with an innovative high-voltage electrolyte formulation, to create a nano protective layer. This effectively minimizes side reactions within the active layer. The integration of high-activity, excited-state particles into the cathode material significantly enhances transport efficiency of lithium ions within the material. Supported by the SOC full-scene high-precision model developed by CATL, and the upgrade of BMS intelligent algorithm and hardware, the SOC control accuracy of Freevoy has been increased by 40%, and the overall pure electric utilization rate has increased by more than 10%, achieving a pure electric range of more than 400km. At the same time, CATL conducted model data analysis on the charge-discharge polarization characteristics of the battery, accurately predicted the future discharge capacity of the battery, and created a multi-level power prediction and control strategy for the battery, which improved the power performance of the hybrid vehicles by 20%.
Furthermore, CATL has successfully applied its 4C ultra-fast charging technology in the Freevoy, achieving over 280 kilometers of range on 10 minutes of charging. Lithium ion transport is made effortless through the application of cathode fast ion conductor coating technology, second-generation fast-charging graphite and novel nano-coating technologies for the anode, multi-gradient layered electrode design, and a brand-new ultra-high conductivity electrolyte formulation, allowing hybrids to deliver the ultimate charging experience equal to pure electric vehicles.
CATL's sodium-ion battery technology is also implemented in the Freevoy, breaking the low-temperature limitations of new energy vehicles. It achieves discharge capability in extreme cold environments down to -40 degrees Celsius, charging capability down to -30 degrees Celsius, and maintains a seamless driving experience down to -20 degrees Celsius comparable to normal temperatures.
To further improve the low-temperature performance of the Freevoy, CATL has implemented three key technological innovations centered around sodium-ion battery technology.
First, leveraging CATL's pioneering AB battery system integration technology, the Freevoy combines sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries in a defined ratio and arrangement, with mixed, serial, and parallel connections to enhance low-temperature range by 5%. Second, CATL takes the sodium-ion battery as a SOC benchmark for monitoring of the AB battery system to assist in calibrating the lithium-ion battery's charge level. This elevates system control precision by 30%, adding over 10 kilometers to the pure electric range. Addressing the inherent performance disparities between lithium-ion batteries and sodium-ion batteries at low temperatures, CATL has developed a full temperature range accurate BMS technology. This technology implements targeted zonal management for distinct chemical systems around the clock, effectively mitigating issues like inaccurate charge prediction or reduced power performance in harsh high and low temperature environments.
The impressive performance of the Freevoy lies in its exceptional reliability and safety. CATL has established a comprehensive reliability management and evaluation system, starting from the material selection and molecular design and encompassing multi-level protection structures, extreme manufacturing processes, comprehensive testing and validation, and big data-driven early warning mechanisms.
The Freevoy has already been used on numerous models of various brands, including Li Auto, AVATR, DEEPAL, CHANGAN NEVO, and NETA. By 2025, 30 hybrid vehicle models from brands including Geely, Chery, GAC, and VOYAH, equipped with CATL's Freevoy are scheduled to be launched and delivered.
Since 2022, CATL has successively launched and formed a battery brand matrix for different application scenarios, such as the Qilin battery, Sodium-ion battery, Condensed battery, Shenxing battery (including Shenxing Plus), Tianheng/TENER battery, and Tianxing/TECTRANS battery.
According to the financial report released by CATL, in the third quarter of this year, CATL's net profit reached 13.1 billion yuan, marking six consecutive quarters with a net profit exceeding one billion yuan. Its gross margin stood at 31.17%, setting a new high since the fourth quarter of 2018.
