Electric cars with 1000 km of range will soon be more affordable

The electric vehicle (EV) market is rapidly evolving, and a significant leap forward might be closer than we think. Car manufacturers are pushing the boundaries of battery technology, with a focus on extending range and reducing costs. Experts predict that within the next few years, electric cars boasting a range of 1000 kilometers (621 miles) on a single charge could become more affordable for mainstream consumers.

The leader in batteries, the Chinese giant CATL, has just announced very good news for electric cars. Thanks to its new technology, models with a range of 1,000 km and which recharge in 10 minutes will soon be more affordable. And should soon arrive on the roads.

Currently, several electric cars can boast a theoretical range of more than 1000 km. The Nio (such as the ET5), with its huge 150 kWh battery, or the Zeekr 001 with its special battery with a capacity of 140 kWh. We can also cite the astonishing Neta S, which manages to announce 1,075 km of autonomy with its smallest 117 kWh battery.

Of course, this is a theoretical autonomy, resulting from the Chinese CLTC approval cycle. Which would give around 930 km of theoretical autonomy on the European WLTP cycle.

1000 km from the end of the year

Either way, this type of autonomy will multiply in the years to come thanks to CATL, the largest manufacturer of batteries for electric cars in the world. The Chinese site IT Home tells us that CATL has given some news on its revolutionary skateboard chassis that the firm made official at the end of 2023. This is now planned to be produced in volume from the second half of 2024.

As a reminder, this is a ready-to-use car chassis, to allow car manufacturers to create their own electric car, quickly and while reducing costs. CATL announced that it is possible to develop an electric car in 18 months compared to 36 to 48 months in the best case currently.

Ultra-fast charging

But that's not all, because technically, this chassis is a little gem of technology. CATL indeed proposes to integrate different battery technologies with different capacities. This is what allows the Chinese group to announce ranges of 1,000 km and ultra-fast recharging: from 30 to 80% in just 10 minutes. Or around 15 minutes to recharge from 10 to 80% thanks to an 800-volt architecture.

Consumption is also optimized since CATL announces only 11 kWh of electricity to travel 100 km. With the CLTC standard. It's not much, and it's on par with the best electric cars of the moment.

On the price side, CATL offers to integrate cobalt-free LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries. This would allow prices to be lowered, but potentially reduce the performance of motors or recharging compared to a more traditional NMC battery.

For the moment, we know that CATL has entered into a partnership with the Vietnamese company VinFast to integrate this chassis into future electric cars. We also find, in the list of partners, the Chinese company Neta.