Two current titans in the electric mobility industry have utilized an existing joint venture to deliver a fresh battery technology to help EV drivers eventually go farther faster. Today, SAIC-GM and CATL launched a new lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cell with a 6C multiplier, enabling recharge rates of up to 200km in just five minutes, making it the fastest charging battery cell in China.
SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited (SAIC-GM) is a joint venture founded in Shanghai in 1997 as a 50/50 partnership. In that time, SAIC has helped American automaker GM hold a respectable chunk of the Chinese automotive market and has expanded the partnership into a separate joint venture that added Guangxi Auto (previously Wuling Group) to develop and manufacture commercial and consumer vehicles for the Chinese market under the Wuling and Baojun marques.
Meanwhile, China’s CATL has remained the world leader in battery manufacturing for seven straight years. This past March, we reported that GM was in talks with CATL to license more affordable LFP batteries and jointly develop a new manufacturing facility in North America.
Across the pond, GM’s SAIC joint venture and CATL have been doing some battery development of their own, launching a new 6C LFP
SAIC-GM and CATL deliver ultra-fast charging battery
The two joint venture partners shared details of their new fast-charging LFP battery cell today, and several Chinese media outlets, including CnEVPost, covered the event. According to the JV, the new cell, which features cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry, can enable 6C ultra-fast charging – an industry first.
As a result, SAIC-GM and CATL say the new battery cell can garner 200 km (124 miles) of range in just five minutes of DC fast charging. The “C” in the industry’s charging classification refers to the battery cell’s given charging multiplier. So, achieving 6C means that GM and CATL’s new LFP battery can be fully charged in one-sixth of an hour or 10 minutes, depending on the power output of a given DCFC.
Until now, Chinese automakers have only been able to deliver a 5.5C battery, which ZEEKR implemented in its 2025 007 sedan, hailed by its makers as the “fastest charging production car.” At the time, ZEEKR said its new LFP technology could recharge the 007 from 10-80% state-of-charge in 10.5 minutes.
With its new 6C cell, SAIC-GM and CATL look to blow those charging rates out of the water. According to the companies, the new LFP cells will be operational in 2025 within GM’s Ultium’s quasi-900V architecture, which will also feature additional design upgrades, such as a new CTP structural design and enhanced cooling technology.
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