by Breakthrough in lithium battery technology
Chinese company CATL, one of the world leaders in battery production, announced a significant breakthrough in the development of lithium metal batteries (LMB). The company’s research has doubled the lifespan of such batteries—they now withstand up to 483 charging cycles. This opens prospects for creating batteries with an energy density exceeding 500 Wh/kg.
As CATL notes,
“lithium metal batteries are considered the next generation of batteries due to their high energy density, especially for applications such as long-range electric vehicles and electric aviation”
. However, the main drawback previously was their limited lifespan, making them commercially unviable.
How the limitations were overcome
The company developed new analytical techniques that allowed for a detailed study of battery degradation processes throughout its lifecycle. It was found that the main reason for battery failure is the depletion of the LiFSI electrolyte salt—up to 71% of this component is lost by the time of complete wear.
Based on this data, CATL engineers created an optimized electrolyte composition with a reduced solvent molecular weight. This increased the proportion of LiFSI salt, improved ionic conductivity, and reduced viscosity without increasing the total mass of the electrolyte.
These changes became a true breakthrough in the industry—the new batteries not only have high energy capacity but also a significantly longer operational lifespan. The technology could find applications not only in electric vehicles but also in other industries requiring lightweight and powerful energy sources. Such achievements could accelerate the transition to clean transportation and make electric vehicles even more accessible to mass consumers.
