Geely launches short blade EV battery with high energy density, fast charging

Chinese automaker Geely Auto Group has introduced its latest generation of in-house developed lithium iron phosphate short blade battery for electric vehicles. The company claims that the new battery and its technology will set new standards for EV batteries in terms of its safety, compact size, higher energy density, better volume utilization, and increased flexibility in pack designs. 

According to media reports, the new battery named as 'Aegis' boasts an energy density of 192 Wh/kg and a promising life-term of up to 3,500 cycles, with minimal impact to its SoC for about 1 million kms in an EV. It is likely to be first be used in Geely's Galaxy series of E5 all-electric SUV model.

Geely's newest battery uses long, thin carbon nanotubes to create a "highway" for ion transmission as well as additives to improve film permeability making it easier for lithium ions to travel between electrodes thereby greatly improving fast charging performance.

This makes the new short blade battery to achieve 10-80 percent SoC with a duration of 17 minutes 4 seconds and an average charging rate of 2.45C.

Further, the use of multi-element doped electrode materials, combined with the battery's smaller size and low internal resistance has made the new battery to limit internal chemical reaction rate significantly extending the life of the battery.

On the battery safety performance, Geely claims that the new short blade battery technology uses a high-strength, high-thermal stability, high-heat-resistant diaphragm, with a highly stable separator paired with safe electrodes resulting in higher energy density and safety.

In addition, self-fusing technology has been applied on the electrode surfaces to block short circuits in event of accidents. If the battery cell is punctured during extreme shock, an aluminum foil layer will fuse into the battery diaphragm to create an insulating layer, preventing short circuits and thermal runaway events, according to Geely.

The battery is said to have undergone tests with eight simultaneous puncture needles and an infantry rifle bullet penetration test to mimic the damage received in extreme crash situations, with no thermal ignition events observed.

Further, Geely has also subjected the battery to 'Six Extremes" serial test that includes seawater corrosion immersion, extreme cold environment, high-frequency pack bottom scraping, 26-ton overweight rolling, single-pack side collision, and fire roasting, with no thermal runaway, smoke, ignition, or combustion reported in all cases.