Photo: Geely
The Li-ion battery industry is dominated by giants like CATL and BYD, but Chinese carmakers also work on their own cells. Geely, the company that owns Volvo and Polestar, has just launched a new LFP battery named Aegis Short Blade, which competes with BYD's Blade Battery 2.0 and CATL's Shenxing battery in terms of performance and durability.
China has accelerated the development of advanced lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cells, which are set to dominate the automotive industry in the near future. Initially reserved for entry-level models because of their lower energy density, LFP cells are poised to replace nickel-based chemistries in all but performance-oriented EVs. The battery market leaders, CATL and BYD, are pushing improvements to the LFP chemistry faster than the automotive industry can integrate the new cells. However, carmakers are also pursuing their own battery projects.
Although not known for its batteries, Geely announced a significantly improved LFP cell, which should compete favorably with the best CATL and BYD have to offer. As a brand, Geely is not known for its electric vehicles, although other brands in the group's portfolio are undisputed technology leaders. Geely owns Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Lynk&Co, and Lotus, all producing very competitive EVs. That's a good reason to start developing your own batteries.
The Aegis Short Blade battery has an energy density of 192 Wh/kg. Geely claims it can last up to 3,500 charging cycles with minimal impact on range. This is equivalent to driving one million kilometers (over 621K miles), a distance an average family covers in 50 years. Geely says that its short-blade battery solves the problems of current long-blade cells thanks to using nanotubes to facilitate ion exchange. Special additives improve film permeability, making it easier for lithium ions to travel between electrodes.
This boosts fast-charging performance, and Geely claims a significant improvement in this area. Compared to an average charging time of 26 minutes from 10% to 80% for competing batteries, the Aegis battery needs only 17 minutes. This is equivalent to an average charging rate of 2.45C for Aegis, compared to 1.61C for competing blade batteries.
The Aegis Short Blade cells also offer higher discharge power in cold temperatures. At minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), the average capacity retention of long blade batteries dropped to 78.96 percent. The Aegis Short Blade Battery retained 90.54 percent of its capacity in similar conditions.
Geely's LFP cells are among the safest on the market, thanks to the in-house development of self-fusing technology that is applied to the electrode surface to stop short circuits in the event of an accident. Together with a high-strength, thermally stable, heat-resistant diaphragm, this ensures the battery doesn't catch fire or overheat even when simultaneously pierced by eight 5-millimeter-diameter steel needles.
The first electric vehicle to use the new battery cells will be the Geely Galaxy E5, set to launch in early August. The Galaxy E5 will be offered with two battery packs of 50 kWh and 60 kWh, respectively. The range is projected at 440 km (273 miles) and 530 km (329 miles), according to the Chinese CLTC standard.
Although not known for its batteries, Geely announced a significantly improved LFP cell, which should compete favorably with the best CATL and BYD have to offer. As a brand, Geely is not known for its electric vehicles, although other brands in the group's portfolio are undisputed technology leaders. Geely owns Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Lynk&Co, and Lotus, all producing very competitive EVs. That's a good reason to start developing your own batteries.
The Aegis Short Blade battery has an energy density of 192 Wh/kg. Geely claims it can last up to 3,500 charging cycles with minimal impact on range. This is equivalent to driving one million kilometers (over 621K miles), a distance an average family covers in 50 years. Geely says that its short-blade battery solves the problems of current long-blade cells thanks to using nanotubes to facilitate ion exchange. Special additives improve film permeability, making it easier for lithium ions to travel between electrodes.
This boosts fast-charging performance, and Geely claims a significant improvement in this area. Compared to an average charging time of 26 minutes from 10% to 80% for competing batteries, the Aegis battery needs only 17 minutes. This is equivalent to an average charging rate of 2.45C for Aegis, compared to 1.61C for competing blade batteries.
The Aegis Short Blade cells also offer higher discharge power in cold temperatures. At minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit), the average capacity retention of long blade batteries dropped to 78.96 percent. The Aegis Short Blade Battery retained 90.54 percent of its capacity in similar conditions.
Geely's LFP cells are among the safest on the market, thanks to the in-house development of self-fusing technology that is applied to the electrode surface to stop short circuits in the event of an accident. Together with a high-strength, thermally stable, heat-resistant diaphragm, this ensures the battery doesn't catch fire or overheat even when simultaneously pierced by eight 5-millimeter-diameter steel needles.
The first electric vehicle to use the new battery cells will be the Geely Galaxy E5, set to launch in early August. The Galaxy E5 will be offered with two battery packs of 50 kWh and 60 kWh, respectively. The range is projected at 440 km (273 miles) and 530 km (329 miles), according to the Chinese CLTC standard.
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