CALB Claims Better Battery Than Tesla 4680

CALB, a Chinese battery manufacturer China Aviation Lithium Battery, claims its “U-type” battery structure offers higher energy density and faster charging speeds than regular cylindrical cells like the Tesla 4680.

CALB has a 4% global market share for batteries in 2022. This places them seventh among the biggest Li-Ion cell manufacturers.

CALB introduced a new battery technology based on structural and chemical innovations developed in-house. CALB’s U-type cells represent a departure from the tabless design that has become popular for cylindrical cells. CALB vice president Xie Qiu explained that a tabless structure does improve some of the current path problems. Treating the cell’s shell as a conductive component results in a relatively long path for the current to flow through. T

The U-type structure CALB presented at China EV 100 Forum reduces current flow path reduced by 70 percent and space utilization improved by 3 percent. This allows the battery to reduce structural components’ electrical resistance by 50 percent.

CALB claims its new battery supports fast charging at more than 6C, which means a full charge takes one-sixth of an hour or ten minutes.

Structural innovations also improve energy density, and CALB claims 300 Wh/kg when an NCM (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese) chemistry is used. With LFP (Lithium-Iron-Phosphate) and LMFP (Lithium-Manganese-Iron-Phosphate) chemistries, the energy density is lower, at 200 Wh/kg. The new technology not only improves battery performance, but also simplifies manufacturing, promising lower production costs. Qiu says the number of welding machines on the production line can be reduced by about 70 percent compared to the tabless design.