Chinese unicorn claims breakthrough with all-weather EV battery

Hong Kong - A Chinese battery start-up claims to have overcome one of the key sticking points for electric vehicle (EV) owners – the loss of power capability and range in cold climates.

Greater Bay Technology says its new Phoenix cell is made with superconducting materials and contains thermal management technology that can heat the battery back from minus 20 deg C to 25 deg C in five minutes.

That allows the lithium-ion battery to operate as normal and charge within six minutes in all weather conditions, according to Mr Huang Xiangdong, Greater Bay’s co-founder and chairman.

“We all know the range of EVs is greatly affected in cold regions, making it a terrible user experience,” said Mr Huang. “The Phoenix battery not only addresses the long charging time for EVs, but other pain points. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot day or a cold day, the Phoenix battery’s range won’t be affected.”

Spun out of state-owned automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group in 2020, the start-up is a new entrant to China’s battery-making industry which includes major players such as Contemporary Amperex Technology, BYD and Gotion High-tech – which are all working on new batteries to make EVs safer, faster to charge and drive longer distances.

Greater Bay has already become a unicorn – a start-up valued at more than US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion) – within two years of its founding.

Its first-generation battery is an extreme fast charge cell, which aims to recharge an EV in the same amount of time it takes to refill a fuel tank.

It is said to fully charge within 15 minutes for an average range of 500km on a charger with sufficient output.

This battery is fitted in the V Plus electric sport utility vehicle from GAC’s Aion, the third-most popular EV brand in China behind BYD and Tesla.

Mr Huang studied automotive engineering in Italy during the 1980s and did post-doctoral work at Fiat’s research centre for five years before returning to China in 1991 to teach.

He headed GAC’s research and development centre for 10 years from 2006, during which time many of the company’s popular models such as the GS4 SUV were developed.

Mr Huang retired in 2016, but later co-founded Greater Bay in 2020 with fellow GAC veteran Pei Feng, who serves as the start-up’s chief executive.

While the journey from development and lab testing to mass production will take some time, the Phoenix battery will be powering some of Aion’s EVs in 2023 and the start-up is also in talks with other carmakers to use the cell, which has a range of 1,000km in a single charge according to Mr Huang.

“Once EVs can be driven and maintained like petrol cars, then there’s a greater chance for mass adoption,” he said. BLOOMBERG