CATL Shenxing 3-minute charge claim

CATL on April 21 unveiled a third-generation version of its Shenxing battery and said the new lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, pack can charge from 10% to 80% in 3 minutes and 44 seconds. The Chinese battery maker disclosed the specifications at its Super Technology Day event in Beijing and said the battery can also go from 10% to 98% state of charge in 6 minutes and 27 seconds. CATL said the pack retains more than 90% of its capacity after 1,000 complete cycles, framing the product as an attempt to combine ultra-fast charging with longer service life. The company also used the event to show updated Qilin and Freevoy products and its Naxtra sodium-ion battery line. ### What exactly did CATL claim for the new Shenxing battery? CATL said the third-generation Shenxing has an “equivalent 10C” charging capability and a peak 15C charging rate, which the company described as the strongest in the industry. In CATL’s figures, charging from 10% to 35% state of charge takes 1 minute, while 10% to 80% takes 3 minutes and 44 seconds and 10% to 98% takes 6 minutes and 27 seconds. (catl.com) The April 21 company statement said the battery is built on LFP chemistry, a lower-cost chemistry widely used in mass-market electric vehicles. CATL introduced the first Shenxing battery in August 2023 as a 4C fast-charging LFP pack, then unveiled Shenxing Plus in April 2024 and a second-generation Shenxing in April 2025, making the latest version the third major Shenxing update in less than three years. (catl.com) ### How did CATL describe the trade-off between charging speed and battery life? CATL said the main constraint on combining faster charging with long cycle life is heat buildup. In its April 21 release, the company said a 10 degrees Celsius increase in battery temperature can roughly double the rate of internal side reactions, citing the Arrhenius equation as the electrochemical basis for that claim. (catl.com) The company said the third-generation Shenxing reduces heat production during operation, improves heat dissipation and uses more precise thermal control. CATL said those measures allow the battery to keep capacity retention above 90% after 1,000 complete cycles. Robin Zeng, CATL’s chairman and chief executive, said at the Beijing event that industrial innovation must be driven by what the company called a rigorous scientific spirit. (catl.com) The same company release said CATL Chief Scientist Wu Kai told attendees that LFP is nearing its theoretical energy-density limit and is better suited to a technology path centered on extreme fast charging. ### Where does this fit in CATL’s recent battery rollout? (catl.com) CATL launched the original Shenxing battery on August 16, 2023, calling it the world’s first 4C superfast-charging LFP battery and saying it could add 400 kilometers of range in 10 minutes. On April 25, 2024, the company unveiled Shenxing Plus and said that version could deliver more than 1,000 kilometers of range with 4C charging. (catl.com) On April 21, 2025, CATL introduced the second-generation Shenxing and said it reached a peak 12C charging rate. The April 21, 2026 event extended that progression to a claimed 15C peak on the third-generation version. ### What else did CATL launch at the same event? CATL said the April 21 event in Beijing included six product announcements. Alongside the third-generation Shenxing, the company showed a third-generation Qilin battery, a Qilin Condensed Battery, a second-generation Freevoy hybrid battery, the Naxtra sodium-ion battery and an integrated charging and battery-swapping system. (catl.com) Wu Kai said at the event that different chemistries will follow different development paths. (catl.com) The company’s release said NCM remains important for energy density, while sodium-ion batteries have broader potential in extreme temperatures and energy-storage applications. ### What comes next for the Shenxing lineup? CATL did not give a commercial launch date, customer list or vehicle model timetable for the third-generation Shenxing in the April 21 release. (catl.com) The company’s statement focused on technical specifications presented at the Beijing event rather than production schedules or pricing. CATL’s next public milestone will be whether it names automaker partners and production vehicles using the third-generation Shenxing. (catl.com) The company has previously announced Shenxing supply deals with automakers including Chery for earlier versions of the battery platform. (catl.com)