World's 1st "Superfast" Electric Car Battery Offers 400 Km Range From 10 Minutes Of Charge

BEIJING, Aug 19: A Chinese battery maker, which is a major supplier to Tesla, has launched what it claims is the first-ever "superfast charging" battery capable of delivering 400 kilometres of range from just a 10-minute charge.

China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) unveiled its latest product, dubbed Shenxing or "god-like movement". According to The Independent, the company on Wednesday said that its new lithium-ion battery would open up a new era for electric cars as it aims to solve EVs' charging and range limitations.

On a full charge, the battery holds enough charge to travel over 700 km without needing to recharge. It is also able to refuel up to 400 km of range in 10 minutes, said Gao Han, chief technology officer of CATL's e-car division, as per TechCrunch.

According to the company, Shenxing is the "world's first 4C superfast charging LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery" - a type of battery chemistry that Elon Musk's car company Tesla widely adapted in 2021 for its shorter-range cars.

CATL explained that the increase in battery capacity and charge time was achieved through a "brand-new superconducting electrolyte formula" that results in improved conductivity. "The future of the EV battery technology must remain steadfastly anchored at the global technology frontier, as well as the economic benefits," said Dr Wu Kai, chief scientist at CATL, as per The Independent.

"As EV consumers shift from pioneering users to ordinary users, we should make advanced technology accessible for all and enable everyone to savour the fruits of innovation," he added.

CATL announced that mass production of the battery is expected to be underway by the end of 2023 and shipping to begin in 2024. The company did not reveal which automakers would be the first to receive the batteries. But as per the outlet, its customers include BMW, Honda, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo, among others.

Elon Musk Still Scouting For Tesla Factory In India

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24: Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on Tuesday the automaker would probably pick a location for a new factory by the end of this year.
When the Wall Street Journal's Thorold Barker asked Musk at an event if India was interesting, he said, "Absolutely".

Tesla is "serious" about its plans to establish a manufacturing base in India, the country's deputy minister for technology told Reuters in an interview last week.

Tesla announced earlier this year that it would open a gigafactory in Mexico as the world's most valuable automaker pushes to expand its global output.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter and founder of several other firms, on Tuesday floated the idea of creating an educational institution that controls most of his votes, without giving details.

He said he has identified a successor to the board so that the person can run the company in "a worst case scenario". "I've told the board 'Look, if something happens to me unexpectedly, this is my recommendation for taking over,'" he said.

James Murdoch, a Tesla board director, testified in court last year that Musk has identified someone as a potential successor to head the electric carmaker at a time when investors were concerned about his distraction with Twitter. Musk recently announced a new CEO for Twitter, and said he would focus more on Tesla.

Tesla Recalls 54,000 Vehicles In US To Fix 'Rolling Stop' Feature

NEW YORK, Feb 1: Electric car maker Tesla will recall nearly 54,000 vehicles in the United States to end a feature that allows the cars to go through a stop sign without fully stopping.

This "rolling stop" feature in cars equipped with full self-driving software allowed the vehicles "to travel through an all-way stop intersection without first coming to a stop," which "can increase the risk of a crash," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a letter Monday.

Starting in October 2020, Tesla included the programing in the beta version of the software, which would allow a car to move through a stop sign when traveling under 5.6 miles per-hour if no other moving vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian were present.

But after two meetings with the NHTSA, Tesla decided on January 20 to deactivate this program, and notified regulators of the recall on January 27. The manufacturer said it was not aware of any accidents caused by the rolling stops.

The company will recall Model 3 vehicles built between 2017 and 2022, the 2016-2022 Model S and Model X cars and Model Y vehicle produced between 2020 and 2022.

Tesla will send out a software update to the vehicles remotely and at no cost to their owners.

In its quarterly earnings results released last week, Tesla said the FSD Beta is now being tested in real-world conditions by more than 60,000 drivers.

Company CEO and founder Elon Musk estimated that fully autonomous driving software was possible "by the end of the year," a promise he has made in the past.

The latest recall follows another last November for 7,600 Tesla vehicles to fix driver airbag risks and the larger recall of half a million cars in December for trunk issues.

The company also agreed late last year to disable a feature allowing drivers to play video games while driving, after a NHTSA investigation.