China's market-leading startup is developing an unprecedented battery that promises not to lose autonomy even in cold climates. The expectation is to deliver 1 km to electric cars.

O Greater Bay Technology, from China and a subsidiary of the state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), claims to have developed the solution to what is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges for electric car batteries: the loss of autonomy in colder environments. In this way, the startup developed a new battery that promises to charge 1 km of autonomy in about 8 minutes.

New battery from China will be installed in GAC Aion V LX Plus

The company's battery, which was named Phoenix, is composed of superconducting materials and thermal management, making it possible for the battery to heat from -4 degrees Fahrenheit to 77F, i.e. -22º C to 25º C, in just 5 minutes .

According to the co-founder and president of Great Bay Technology, Huang Xiangdong, the component works normally and charges in less than six minutes in all weathers. The startup has joined the worldwide effort to reduce electric car charging times, improve driving range and make batteries safer, a movement led by Chinese companies such as BYD, CATL, Gotion High Tech and several others.

A Greater Bay Technology surpassed a $1 billion valuation within two years of its founding. The company had initial success with its first-generation battery cell, which reportedly charges in the same time it takes a gasoline car to fill up at a gas station.

Its battery can have a range of 200 km in just 5 minutes of charge and can go from 0 to 80% state of charge (SoC) in just 8 minutes. The expectation is that the new battery for electric cars will be initially installed in GAC Aion V LX Plus.

Electric cars lose up to 35% of their range in freezing temperatures

The company executive also mentioned that the startup is negotiating with other automakers, who are interested in acquiring its new battery, which may provide autonomy of up to 1 km. A study that analyzed 7 cars showed that some eletric cars can lose up to 35% of their autonomy in freezing temperatures.

However, the loss of autonomy may vary according to various models. Automakers like Tesla use heat pumps and features like battery preconditioning to mitigate the impact of cold weather on the component and range.

The market is curious to see if this new technology works as expected and which other automakers would buy it. It's important to remember that China's CLTC test cycle is more optimistic than the EPA's, where test results appear to be comparatively closer to real-world driving range, although the Phoenix battery's all-weather capability and heat management are characteristics that are certainly worth looking into.

New battery that charges in 5 minutes

A StoreDot About a year ago, the company sent the first units of its component that promises to reduce the charging time in electric cars to just 5 minutes and, recently, the company announced a new date to start mass production of the component. 

According to the Israeli startup, batteries for electric cars are called 100in5 and will be produced in three different continents, namely North America, Asia and Europe, and will be ready to supply the electric car market globally from 2024.