If concerns over battery lifespan are holding you back from buying an electric car, that worry may soon disappear thanks to Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL). The Chinese battery manufacturer says it has a million-mile battery ready for vehicles.
As Bloomberg reports, the claim of a million-mile battery comes directly from CATL chairman Zeng Yuqun, who says the battery his company developed has a lifespan of 16 years and will power a vehicle for 1.24 million miles before it needs replacing. As for cost, it's only 10 percent more expensive than the batteries being used in electric vehicles today.
Why haven't we seen a car manufacturer boasting about a new electric vehicle with a 1.24 million mile battery? Because nobody has placed an order with CATL yet. However, according to Zeng, "If someone places an order, we are ready to produce."
CATL's closest relationship in the electric vehicle sector seems to be with Tesla, after it signed a two-year deal to supply Model 3 batteries back in February. According to Zeng, he regularly talks with Elon Musk and says, "We’re getting along well and he’s a fun guy ... He’s talking about cost all day long, and I’m making sure we have the solutions." Tesla also stated last year it was planning a million-mile battery, which suggests a Tesla vehicle could be the first to use CATL's new battery. However, CATL has existing relationships with BMW, Volkswagen, and Porsche, so any or all of them could opt to use it post-pandemic.
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