When China’s CATL stepped onto the Auto China 2024 stage in Beijing and claimed its new Shenxing PLUS LFP pack could push an electric car up to 1,000 km, or about 621 miles, on a single charge, it set a new psychological bar for range. That headline figure towers over Tesla’s current flagship numbers, with the Model S rated at roughly 405 miles under the EPA cycle. If CATL’s promise holds up on the road, the center of gravity in battery innovation may be shifting decisively toward China.
The announcement, made during Auto China’s April 25 to May 5, 2024 run, also came with an aggressive fast‑charging claim: a 10‑minute stop that can add 600 km of driving. Together with the battery’s official name, Shenxing PLUS LFP, those details signal a direct challenge to the idea that long‑range, high‑performance packs have to rely on more expensive chemistries and that Tesla’s playbook will define the next decade of electric vehicles.
The Breakthrough Announcement
In Beijing, Primary CATL presented the Shenxing PLUS LFP as its next leap in mass‑market battery technology, explicitly tying the pack to a claimed 1,000 km range on a single charge. The company framed that figure within China’s testing context but translated it to 621 miles to underline how far beyond today’s mainstream EVs this specification sits. By keeping the chemistry rooted in lithium iron phosphate, CATL is also signaling that long distance driving no longer needs to be reserved for premium nickel‑rich packs.
The same announcement highlighted charging speed as a second pillar of the technology. CATL described Shenxing PLUS as a 4C battery that can add 600 km of range in just 10 minutes, a claim that, if realized in production vehicles, would change how drivers think about road‑trip stops and urban fast‑charging. The company positioned these metrics as a practical answer to range anxiety, arguing that a car that can cover 1,000 km and then recover 600 km in the time it takes to buy coffee removes two of the biggest psychological barriers to EV adoption.
How It Stacks Up Against Tesla
CATL’s 1,000 km headline number lands squarely in territory that has long been associated with Tesla’s most expensive sedans. Tesla’s own materials for its longest‑range variants point to roughly 652 km on the Chinese CLTC test for the Model S Plaid, a figure that already sits above most rivals but now looks modest next to CATL’s 1,000 km claim. The contrast is even sharper when I set that against the roughly 405‑mile EPA rating Tesla cites for its top Model S configuration, a reminder that different test cycles can produce very different impressions of real‑world range.
The CATL announcement implicitly challenges Tesla on charging as well as distance. While Tesla’s Supercharger network has been a core advantage, the idea of a 4C pack that adds 600 km in 10 minutes suggests Chinese suppliers are racing to match or exceed that user experience at the cell level. The gap between 652 km CLTC for a Tesla sedan and 1,000 km on a similar Chinese test cycle does not automatically mean a CATL‑equipped car will go half again as far in daily driving, but it does set a new benchmark that other manufacturers will be under pressure to reference in their own marketing.
Tech Behind the Range
The Shenxing PLUS LFP pack is built around lithium iron phosphate chemistry, which companies such as Chinese EV battery maker Gotion have also embraced for its safety and cost advantages. LFP cells are less prone to thermal runaway than nickel manganese cobalt designs and rely on cheaper, more abundant materials, which makes them attractive for high‑volume production. CATL’s pitch is that better engineering of LFP electrodes and pack structures can close the energy density gap with nickel‑rich chemistries while keeping those safety and cost benefits.
At the same time, Chinese automakers are already pointing toward a next phase that blends today’s liquid‑electrolyte packs with features associated with solid‑state batteries. IM Motors, through its Primary statement on the IM L6 sedan, said the car will be the first to mass‑produce and install what it calls an “ultra‑fast‑charging solid‑state battery” with a “breakthrough 1,000 km CLTC” range. The company’s chemists describe the design as a step toward solid‑state performance, with higher voltage operation and improved safety, even if the industry still debates where to draw the line between semi‑solid and fully solid‑state packs.
Global Implications for EV Makers
The emergence of batteries like Shenxing PLUS LFP and the IM L6 pack is not just a technical story; it has direct consequences for global competition. Analysts cited by the Financial Times estimate that China accounts for roughly 60% of global battery production, a dominance that gives Chinese suppliers enormous leverage over pricing and technology diffusion. If those same suppliers are the first to put 1,000 km packs into mass‑produced cars, Western automakers will be forced either to license the technology, deepen joint ventures in China, or risk falling behind on the metrics that many consumers care about most.
For Tesla, which has long marketed itself as the cutting edge of EV performance, the optics are sensitive. A world in which Chinese manufacturers routinely advertise 1,000 km CLTC range and 10‑minute, 600 km fast‑charge sessions risks making a 652 km CLTC sedan look dated, even if Tesla’s software and charging ecosystem remain strong differentiators. The Financial Times analysis suggests that China’s scale advantage in batteries could translate into lower pack costs as well, tightening the squeeze on Tesla’s margins if it tries to match range while holding prices steady.
Charging and Safety Claims
IM Motors has framed the IM L6’s battery as a showcase for both ultra‑fast charging and safety at the pack level. In its CLTC‑based announcement, the company said the car’s near‑900V architecture is designed to support very high charging power, aligning with CATL’s broader push toward 4C charging and 10‑minute recovery of 600 km. Higher voltage systems can reduce current for a given power level, which in turn allows for thinner cables and potentially more efficient fast‑charging hardware.
IM Motors also made an explicit safety claim that its pack is engineered for “no thermal‑propagation” and “no fire” at the pack level, a strong statement in an industry that has been cautious about overpromising on safety. That language echoes the emphasis from Shenxing PLUS LFP marketing on LFP’s inherent stability compared with nickel‑rich chemistries. While independent verification will be essential, the fact that Chinese manufacturers are putting pack‑level safety guarantees at the center of their messaging suggests they see it as a competitive weapon alongside raw range and charging speed.
What’s Next and Uncertainties
IM Motors has said the IM L6 will be the first model to mass‑produce and install its “ultra‑fast‑charging solid‑state battery” with a “breakthrough 1,000 km CLTC” range in 2024, positioning the car as a real‑world counterpart to CATL’s Shenxing PLUS LFP claims. That timeline, if met, would mean Chinese drivers could experience 1,000 km‑class packs on the road while many Western brands are still talking about future platforms. The combination of a near‑900V system, pack‑level safety assurances, and CLTC‑rated 1,000 km range would give IM Motors a showcase vehicle for China’s battery ambitions.
There are, however, open questions about how these headline figures will translate outside controlled testing and how quickly such batteries can clear regulatory and validation hurdles in markets such as the United States. The available sources provide thin evidence on specific U.S. regulatory barriers, so any forecast about how fast Shenxing PLUS LFP or IM L6‑style packs might appear in American showrooms remains unverified based on available sources. What is clear is that Chinese EV and battery makers are moving fast, that companies like Gotion are pushing global expansion alongside CATL, and that every new 1,000 km announcement makes current Tesla ranges look a little more like last decade’s benchmark than the final word on electric mobility.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
