GAC Group to test graphene-enabled battery for in-car volume production at end-2020

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC Group recently said the R&D of the graphene-enhanced battery is well underway and the company is likely to test the battery for volume production in vehicles at the end of this year. However, whether the mass production will be achieved still rests upon the testing result.

Photo credit: GAC Group

During the R&D process, the three-dimensional graphene (3DG) is put into a battery's cathode and anode as an additive in a bid to improve battery charging performance, said GAC Group. The company has applied for many patents for the technology, covering fields like graphene production, supercapacitor and fast-charging battery. 

GAC Tech Day 2020; photo credit: GAC Group

At the 2020 Tech Day in July, GAC Group announced it developed super-fast-charging battery by virtue of graphene's outstanding conductivity and special 3D structure. A vehicle equipped with the battery can be recharged to 80% of its capacity within only 8 minutes and a 10-minute charging can support range of 200 to 300km.

The technology has been proved useful from aspects of battery cell, modules and complete vehicles, said the automaker. It will be introduced to GAC Aion's product lineup.

GAC Group has launched its Aion product series as a standalone brand with focus on premium intelligent electric vehicles (EVs). The automaker announced the spin-off of Aion from GAC's product lineup at the Auto Guangzhou 2020, where the brand’s fourth model, the Aion Y, was unveiled. Meanwhile, GAC New Energy Automobile Co.,Ltd was officially renamed as GAC Aion New Energy Vehicle Co.,Ltd.

In November, GAC Aion sold 7,200 NEVs, a year-on-year jump of 20%. For the first eleven months, the NEV subsidiary’s total sales surged 62% to roughly 53,000 units.