9:02 am, May 26, 2023
The range of new EVs could double in the coming years amid claims from a Chinese start-up that it has developed a battery with a 1,000km (620 mile) range.
VW supplier Gotion High Tech says its new L600 LMFP Astroinno unit can go twice as far as a normal lithium EV battery on a single charge.
Bosses say it has already passed all necessary safety tests and are planning to put it into mass production next year.
Furthermore, they believe the battery will have a lifespan of around four million kilometres (2.5 million miles), making it far more long-lasting than most modern batteries.
Other developments include other reducing the number of structural parts by 45 per cent and lowering the battery’s weight by nearly a third.
Specialists have also managed to drop wiring for the battery pack to just 80 metres.
The Independent reports that Gotion High Tech is planning to make the batteries a state-of-the-art new factory in the US, which is set to cost $2.3bn (£1.9bn).
Dr Cheng Qian, executive president of the International Business Unit of Gotion High-Tech, said: ‘In recent years, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology has regained the recognition of the market with market share continuing to increase.
‘Meanwhile, the energy density growth of mass-produced LFP batteries has encountered bottlenecks, and further improvement requires an upgrade of the chemical system, so [our system] was developed.’
Recent figures from the SMMT revealed that the average distance an electric car can travel on a single charge currently stands at 236 miles.
The trade body also found that EV choice has quadrupled in recent years, with electric choices now available in every class of vehicle.
