An electric aircraft might be a wild thought for some, but CATL batteries are already powering some test models. Yes, CATL has tested a civil electric aircraft that is capable of carrying a weight of over 4 tons on a single flight. During the test, this aircraft put one of CATL batteries to use and the Chinese battery manufacturer is looking to mass-produce these batteries.
For the success of this test flight project, CATL needed to make use of a high-density battery pack. This is not like any other battery pack that we see in use on EVs around the world. According to the available reports, the battery pack CATL put to use is a Condensed Battery, and it is ideal because of its high density.
A Condensed Battery consists of various battery cells, with each cell packing up to 500Wh/kg, more than double the battery pack on some mainstream EVs on sale today. For example, the Tesla Model 3 Performance comes with a massive 78.1kWh battery pack, achieving over 465km worth of range on a single charge. This is not up to what just one cell of the Condensed Battery that CATL is using to power its 4-ton civil electric aircraft can achieve.
While CATL is working to bring this battery to EVs, we expect to see it on electric aircraft by 2028. Yes, the Chinese battery manufacturer is working to build a battery that’ll power an 8-ton civil electric aircraft which might hit the skies in about four years. This coming electric aircraft will be able to achieve a range of up to 3000km on a full charge.
Once available, the Condensed Battery from CATL will enter mass production for usage in various aircraft. This will help achieve cleaner and more efficient flights, hence protecting the environment. In the coming years, more details on these CATL batteries that will be in use on electric aircraft will become available.