Chinese manufacturers have been pushing forward in the electric vehicle sector, unveiling innovations like a battery that claims it can deliver a 320-mile charge in just five minutes. This week, KCBS Radio’s Holly Quan interviewed Bloomberg’s David Welch about this breakthrough and whether such technology might eventually reach the United States.
“They have a licensing deal with Ford in Michigan,” Welch said, referring to CATL, the China-based electric vehicle battery maker.
Despite the buzz surrounding the announcement at the Shanghai auto show, Welch pointed out that U.S. drivers shouldn’t expect to see these ultra-rapid charging batteries on American roads anytime soon.
“That technology, they say works, but it’s not being built industrialized and commercialized yet,” Welch explained. “But that’s coming. And when the Chinese want to get stuff out, they don’t have a lot of barriers domestically to getting it done. And they tend to move pretty quickly.”
Welch mentioned that the timing of when Chinese EV technology might arrive in the U.S. is tied closely to the ongoing tariff battles that began under President Donald Trump. He noted that CATL’s collaboration with Ford is drawing plenty of attention.
“All that’s going on with tariffs, trade talks, trade wars… does kind of throw some of this Chinese EV technology up in the air in terms of getting it to U.S. shores,” said Welch.
During his conversation with Quan, Welch also explained that Chinese firms primarily produce lithium iron phosphate batteries, unlike the lithium ion batteries more commonly used in American EVs. While they may not deliver as much mileage per charge, they are significantly cheaper to produce.
“BYD, which is the biggest EV maker in the world, and CATL, which has the biggest battery maker in that world – both Chinese companies – have been working on these technologies,” Welch said, noting that improvements continue to be made, especially in enhancing the batteries’ energy density to allow for faster charging.
At present, the United States lacks the necessary infrastructure to efficiently fast charge vehicles using these Chinese battery types, Welch said. Nonetheless, General Motors plans to introduce a refreshed version of the Chevy Bolt later this year, which will reportedly feature a lithium iron phosphate battery.
“They are keeping the range and charge time a secret,” said Welch. “So we’ll see what that comes with and whether or not it’s CATL’s technology. I suspect it is.”
Another important distinction, Welch added, is that vehicles equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries tend to be smaller than the typical American car and offer more limited driving ranges.
“I know somebody personally a friend who bought a BYD EV in Mexico… it’s a $29,000 car, slightly smaller than the old Chevy Bolt which means it’s subcompact and he gets I think 220 or 230 miles of range,” he said.
{Matzav.com}