Charging a power battery from 10% to near full in under 10 minutes, achieving a pure-electric range of 1,500 kilometers, and the imminent mass production of sodium-ion batteries—recently, industry leaders CATL and BYD have spearheaded the launch of multiple new battery products, continuously innovating in key areas such as ultra-fast charging, driving range, safety, and sodium batteries. Driven by this wave of breakthrough innovations, not only is the consumer experience poised for a substantial upgrade, but the deep transformation of the new-energy vehicle industry is also set to accelerate.

Breakthroughs Across Multiple Fields

Recently, CATL and BYD, the two leading battery giants, have engaged in a high-stakes technological showdown. In March, BYD took the lead by unveiling its second-generation Blade Battery along with flash-charging technology. This upgraded product, built on a lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry, can charge from 10% to 97% in just nine minutes at room temperature, and even in extreme cold at −30°C, it takes only 12 minutes to go from 20% to 97%. Meanwhile, in terms of range and safety, the second-generation Blade Battery delivers a maximum range of 1,036 kilometers and has passed rigorous nail-penetration and compression tests, with bottom-impact resistance that is ten times the national standard.

Just over a month later, on April 21, CATL unveiled its latest breakthroughs at the “2026 Super Tech Day.” Among them, the third-generation神行 ultra-fast charging battery can go from 10% to 98% charge in just 6 minutes and 27 seconds, and even in an environment as low as −30°C, it takes only about 9 minutes to charge from 20% to 98%. Meanwhile, the third-generation Kirin battery delivers a range of over 1,000 kilometers while achieving greater lightweighting; and the Kirin solid-state battery marks the first time aerospace battery technology has been applied to passenger vehicles, with a maximum range of up to 1,500 kilometers.

In the sodium-ion battery sector, two major industry players have also made significant progress. CATL has announced that it has overcome the four key challenges to mass production of sodium-ion batteries and plans to launch large-scale commercial production by the end of 2026. BYD’s third-generation sodium-ion battery has already completed small-batch pilot production and will be deployed in applications such as affordable passenger vehicles and energy storage systems.

From a competitive landscape perspective, BYD leverages its integrated vehicle–battery system advantages to prioritize safety and cost efficiency in lithium iron phosphate chemistries, with a strong focus on popularizing fast charging. By contrast, CATL is committed to a diversified technology roadmap, maintaining a leading position in high energy density and ultra-fast charging, and serving both premium and mass-market segments. The competition between the two has evolved from a simple product-level showdown into a full-ecosystem battle encompassing technology, production capacity, and charging infrastructure, jointly driving China’s power battery industry to maintain its global leadership.

Driving Transformation in the Industrial Chain

As the “heart” of new-energy vehicles, power batteries are driving a wave of technological breakthroughs that are triggering ripple effects across the entire industry chain—from upstream raw materials and midstream manufacturing to downstream vehicle assembly and even the energy-supply ecosystem—ushering in structural transformation and new growth opportunities.

For the battery supply chain, ultra-fast charging and sodium-ion technology have emerged as the core drivers of transformation. The widespread adoption of ultra-fast-charging batteries is compelling a comprehensive upgrade of the materials ecosystem, encompassing anode materials, electrolytes, separators, and more. Meanwhile, the mass production of sodium-ion batteries is forging an entirely new supply-chain landscape. Sodium resources are more than 1,300 times as abundant in the Earth’s crust as lithium, offering lower costs and broader geographic distribution, while spurring rapid growth in emerging material sectors such as hard-carbon anodes, Prussian-blue cathodes, and sodium-salt electrolytes. Industry forecasts project that global installations of sodium-ion batteries will exceed 50 GWh in 2026 and surpass 150 GWh in 2027, with rapid penetration across segments including A00-class passenger cars, electric two-wheelers, energy storage, and commercial vehicles.

Breakthroughs in battery technology are poised to further boost the penetration of new-energy vehicles and gradually address the two major pain points of “range anxiety” and “charging anxiety.” Ultra-fast charging batteries can deliver a full charge in just 6 to 9 minutes, bringing the energy-replenishment speed of electric vehicles close to that of refueling gasoline cars. In terms of range, equipping vehicles with batteries capable of 1,000 or even 1,500 kilometers of range will enable stress-free long-distance travel and expand the scope of real-world applications.

The widespread adoption of new technologies still faces challenges.

With the launch of new battery technologies, consumers are primarily concerned with “when they will be available” and “what the real-world experience will be like.” Currently, ultra-fast charging and sodium-ion battery technologies are rapidly transitioning from the lab to mass production; however, widespread adoption will still depend on a robust charging infrastructure, further cost reductions, and ongoing technological optimization.

According to Liu Kai, Executive Secretary-General of the New Energy Vehicle Battery Branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and a senior engineer, the introduction of ultra-fast charging and flash-charging technologies provides consumers with more options tailored to their specific driving scenarios, helping to dispel the longstanding perception that electric-vehicle charging is difficult and slow. However, he also notes that widespread adoption of these new technologies among mainstream consumers still faces significant challenges. From a battery technology perspective, ultra-fast charging batteries require greater attention to thermal management and capacity fade under prolonged ultra-high-rate charging conditions; from a charging infrastructure standpoint, the widespread deployment of ultra-high-power charging stations necessitates robust site safety management and the addition of energy-storage systems to mitigate the impact of instantaneous ultra-high power surges on the grid.

Currently, the development of a charging infrastructure network featuring ultra-fast and flash-charging technologies is accelerating. BYD has announced the launch of its “Flash Charge China” strategy, aiming to build 20,000 flash-charging stations by the end of the year, including 2,000 high-speed flash-charging stations. CATL, meanwhile, plans to deploy integrated ultra-fast charging and battery-swap stations, with a target of having 4,000 such facilities in operation by the end of 2026, covering nearly 190 cities and the 12-vertical-11-horizontal expressway network. In addition, CATL is collaborating with automakers to co-build a charging infrastructure network; its initial partners include Changan, Chery, GAC, Seres, SAIC-GM-Wuling, and BAIC, with the goal of deploying more than 100,000 shared charging and energy-replenishment facilities by the end of 2028.