CATL Unveils EV Battery That Charges 520Km In 5 Minutes

If you’ve ever hesitated at the thought of switching to an EV because of long charging stops, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common concerns I hear when chatting with curious drivers—especially here in Australia, where a "quick getaway" could mean a 600km round trip. But that fear may soon belong to the past. This week, Chinese battery titan CATL announced something that could shift the entire electric vehicle landscape: a new battery capable of delivering 520km of range in just five minutes.

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That’s not a typo. Five minutes. Quicker than grabbing a servo coffee.

This breakthrough belongs to the second generation of CATL’s Shenxing battery, which was revealed at the company’s Tech Day event in Shanghai. If the name sounds familiar, it should—CATL already supplies batteries to global heavyweights like Tesla, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai. But this newest development could put them miles ahead in the fast-charging arms race.

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What makes this battery different?

The Shenxing battery isn’t just fast—it’s smart. Based on Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistry, the updated version is now capable of charging at jaw-dropping rates of up to 1300kW. That puts it well ahead of any battery you’ll find on Australian roads today. CATL claims this tech can offer a total range of 800km and still perform in icy conditions.

To back that up, the company ran a demo at -10°C where an EV charged from 5% to 80% in just 15 minutes. That’s seriously impressive given how most batteries slow to a crawl when the mercury drops.

Remember: this is a company that doesn’t build cars—it builds the heart of them. And that laser focus is helping CATL outrun competitors like BYD and even Tesla.

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The charging wars are heating up

The pace of battery development in China right now is absolutely wild. Just a few months ago, BYD dropped jaws by announcing a 400km charge in five minutes using its Blade battery tech. That was done using a twin-charger setup on its Han L and Tang L models.

Then Zeekr, another EV disruptor with plans to enter the Aussie market, stepped in with a 1200kW single-plug system—no dual chargers required. Huawei, not wanting to be left behind, launched an eye-watering 1500kW solution targeted at heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

Each of these announcements felt like the next big leap. But CATL’s Shenxing 2.0 seems to have trumped them all, at least for now.

▶️MORE: BYD's 5-Minute 400km EV Charging Breakthrough

A Big Player in The EV Market

If you’re driving a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y that came out of Shanghai, there’s a good chance your car already runs on CATL cells. The company is a major player in Australia’s EV ecosystem, even if its name isn’t plastered across billboards.

Beyond passenger vehicles, CATL’s footprint extends into energy storage and cutting-edge EV platforms. It’s been experimenting with “cell-to-body” designs that allow automakers to roll out new models more efficiently, further speeding up the EV transition.

In fact, over 67 EV models worldwide will be powered by Shenxing batteries in 2025 alone. That’s a massive jump, with CATL forecasting more than 18 million vehicles across 66 countries running its cells.