When it comes to battery tech, it looks like the world of electric cars is gaining a step forward. Chinese car battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL) has announced that it is ready to make a new kind of car battery that lasts longer, in terms of total range and lifespan.
The revelation came from company chairman Zeng Yuqun via an interview with Bloomberg. He said that the company’s new batteries can carry an electric car up to two million km, over the course of 16 years. This is in contrast to the usual car battery warranties that only cover ranges between 60000 miles (~96000km) to 150000 miles (~240000km), and between a three to eight-year period. But as a trade off, this new batteries by CATL will cost 10% more compared to other batteries it makes.
Chances are, the earliest cars to get these longer lasting batteries will be customers of CATL. Among them are the likes of BMW, Daimler, Honda, Toyota Volkswagen, Volvo and Tesla. The last one has a deal with the company to supply the Model 3 batteries for two years.
For the environmentally conscious, electric cars going mainstream is still the pipe dream. But one of the major problems with it is the fact that the batteries for these electric vehicles don’t exactly last long in car years. That’s on top of the fact that they are pretty expensive for the frequency they need to be replaced. If the increase in lifespan can make up for the increased initial cost, then maybe it’s not that bad a deal. But other issues remain, like the availability of charging points and the mileage of a single charge.
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