CATL unveiled its third-generation Shenxing LFP battery at a Tech Day event, posting a 10-98% charge time of 6 minutes 27 seconds. To contextualize that number, Geely's Golden Brick, which only surpassed BYD's Blade 2.0 weeks earlier, needs 8 minutes 42 seconds for a 10-97% fill. CATL chose a different benchmark: the Shenxing charges from near-empty to near-full 13 seconds faster than a Ford Mustang GTD laps the Nurburgring.
BYD's Blade 2.0 posted its 9-minute 10-97% figure in early April. It held the record for roughly two weeks.
How the Shenxing's Curve Differs
The early burst is what separates it. From 10 to 35%, the Shenxing takes one minute flat. Most LFP chemistries need time to ramp into peak charge rate; this pack skips that phase entirely. The practical consequence is that a genuine 5-minute stop translates to meaningful range from the first second, rather than front-loading the session with slow initial climbing.
The 10-80% window closes at 3 minutes 44 seconds. Geely's Golden Brick needs 5 minutes 40 seconds to reach the same point. BYD has not published an equivalent 10-80% figure for the Blade 2.0.
CATL attributes the numbers to an internal resistance of 0.25 milliohms per cell, which the company claims is 50% below the industry average. Multi-point temperature monitoring per cell and a self-heating system using short heat pulses manage low-temperature performance without a significant time penalty.
-30°C and the Longevity Question
At -30°C (-22°F), the 10-98% fill extends to 9 minutes. That matches what BYD's Blade 2.0 achieves at optimal temperature, in a Norwegian winter.
BMW engineers publicly questioned whether ultra-fast Chinese LFP charging is compatible with long-term battery health. CATL's counter is specific: the pack retains above 90% state of health after 1,000 ultra-fast charge cycles. At realistic fast-charge frequency, that covers 300,000 km or more of ownership.
CATL said it is evaluating deployment of the Shenxing platform outside China in partnership with SAIC-GM-Wuling. No markets or timeline were confirmed, and BYD has already moved on this front, with Flash Charging infrastructure now expanding into Europe.