SVOLT Energy Technology, a Chinese EV battery manufacturer, has unveiled what it says is the world’s first cobalt-free battery which has achieved series production.
At the Chengdu Motor Show, the firm showed off an 82.5KWh capacity power pack inside a vehicle from Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors. The EV battery uses standard platform MEB modules, aerospace-grade thermal insulation materials and has a lightweight design.
The Cobalt-free Pack has an energy density of 170Wh/kg and can deliver approximately 373 miles (600 km) of range on a single charge under normal temperature conditions. It also has solid performance, including 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 5 seconds, IP67 waterproof rating, as well as high energy retention, and fast heating speed in low-temperature conditions.
SVTOL says its pack has passed comprehensive performance tests and safety tests, and test data such as thermal runaway far exceeds national standard requirements. It is “expected” to make its way to cars that go on sale in the Chinese market but didn’t offer a timeline of when that might happen. Also, it is not known how many cobalt-free power packs it can manufacture at the moment.
The company has spent several years on cobalt-free R&D technology and has invested more than 500 million yuan (77.25 million dollars) in R&D funding. It has dedicated 1,200 R&D personnel to cobalt-free batteries alone and 120 materials and battery experts. Now, SVOLT has successfully developed cobalt-free cathode material, cobalt-free cell, and Pack and achieved series production.
