The batteries inside Zeekr's new electric vehicle models have a range of 621 miles. Photo Courtesy of Zeekr
CATL, one of the world’s leading makers of EV batteries, has announced that its next-generation battery has a range of 621 miles and will debut early next year.
The battery will be installed in two models made by Zeekr, a Chinese brand which is not yet available in the United States.
The ability to go 621 miles, or 1,000 kilometers, on a single charge is much more than the models that now lead the U.S. market in battery range: the Lucid Air, with 520 miles, and the Tesla Model S, with 405 miles.
It’s not much of a stretch to imagine a near future in which range anxiety is no longer a thing. For me, 621 miles is nearly enough to cover the longest haul I ever drive, which is from my home in Columbus, Ohio, to the town where I grew up in Iowa.
“If you can get a car with 500, 600 miles of range, boy that leaves a lot of room for comfort” in not having to worry about getting fuel, said Matt Degen, an editor and car reviewer for Kelley Blue Book.
“I personally like the idea of waking up every morning, if you’ve been able to charge overnight, to a full tank,” he said.
He said it’s too early to know how well the new CATL battery will work, but there’s no doubt that the EV ranges are increasing by leaps and bounds. He pointed to the announcement last month that Stellantis, parent company of Jeep and Chrysler, had purchased a plant in Massachusetts for manufacturing solid-state batteries, a technology that could lead to a big increase in range and a decrease in charging time.
As battery technology improves, ranges should increase across the price spectrum. For example, the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, a compact SUV, will go on sale in about a year with a price of about $30,000 and a range of about 300 miles.
Zeekr is not alone in having announced a model with a range of more than 600 miles. Steve Man, a senior auto analyst for BloombergNEF, listed two others, both from Chinese brands:
The GAC Aion LX Plus, a compact SUV which went on sale in January in China, has a range of 625 miles. And carmaker Nio said an upcoming version of its ET7 sedan, sold in China, will have a range of about 620 miles. Inside Climate News - link - Dan Gearino - link - more like this (ev batteries) - link - more like this (China) - link
The battery will be installed in two models made by Zeekr, a Chinese brand which is not yet available in the United States.
The ability to go 621 miles, or 1,000 kilometers, on a single charge is much more than the models that now lead the U.S. market in battery range: the Lucid Air, with 520 miles, and the Tesla Model S, with 405 miles.
It’s not much of a stretch to imagine a near future in which range anxiety is no longer a thing. For me, 621 miles is nearly enough to cover the longest haul I ever drive, which is from my home in Columbus, Ohio, to the town where I grew up in Iowa.
“If you can get a car with 500, 600 miles of range, boy that leaves a lot of room for comfort” in not having to worry about getting fuel, said Matt Degen, an editor and car reviewer for Kelley Blue Book.
“I personally like the idea of waking up every morning, if you’ve been able to charge overnight, to a full tank,” he said.
He said it’s too early to know how well the new CATL battery will work, but there’s no doubt that the EV ranges are increasing by leaps and bounds. He pointed to the announcement last month that Stellantis, parent company of Jeep and Chrysler, had purchased a plant in Massachusetts for manufacturing solid-state batteries, a technology that could lead to a big increase in range and a decrease in charging time.
As battery technology improves, ranges should increase across the price spectrum. For example, the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, a compact SUV, will go on sale in about a year with a price of about $30,000 and a range of about 300 miles.
Zeekr is not alone in having announced a model with a range of more than 600 miles. Steve Man, a senior auto analyst for BloombergNEF, listed two others, both from Chinese brands:
The GAC Aion LX Plus, a compact SUV which went on sale in January in China, has a range of 625 miles. And carmaker Nio said an upcoming version of its ET7 sedan, sold in China, will have a range of about 620 miles. Inside Climate News - link - Dan Gearino - link - more like this (ev batteries) - link - more like this (China) - link
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