China Daily reports that Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL battery company, says its civil electric manned aircraft cooperation project has made progress, and it is expected to support a range of about 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers from 2027 to 2028.
According to the news source: “Zeng Yuqun said that CATL has successfully tested a 4-ton civil electric aircraft, and is “actively investing” and accelerating the research and development of 8-ton aircraft. The 8-ton aircraft is expected to be released in 2027 to 2028 and will support a range of about 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers. It is reported that the battery used in the project is the most cutting-edge battery technology of CATL – condensed matter battery. The battery has an energy density of up to 500Wh/kg. This not only means that the current level of 250Wh/kg in the field of electric vehicle power batteries has been tripled, but also that it has met the energy density requirements of regional airliners.
“At the same time, Zeng Yuqun revealed that the company is developing a new generation of sodium-ion batteries, which are expected to have better performance in terms of cost, life and low-temperature performance, and will be launched as soon as next year. If technology is used as an evaluation system (1-10 score), CATL’s sodium-ion battery project is already at the level of 7.”
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