Energy density up to 350Wh/kg! CATL aviation battery passes adjacent cell thermal runaway verification

CATL has officially announced that its aviation power battery system, developed specifically for manned eVTOL electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, has successfully passed a thermal runaway non-propagation test for two adjacent cells, making it the world's first 350Wh/kg prismatic cell to achieve this aviation-grade safety standard.

For manned aircraft, batteries must not only deliver high energy density to ensure range and payload, but also strictly control the risk of thermal runaway chain fires. Non-propagation of thermal runaway between adjacent cells is a hard threshold for civil aviation batteries.

During the test, staff actively triggered thermal runaway in two adjacent cells at positions such as the middle and corners of the battery pack. The entire system showed no thermal spread and did not ignite surrounding cells, holding the safety line.

From cell manufacturing, assembly, to complete testing, the entire process was witnessed on-site by representatives appointed by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The test data can be directly used for subsequent airworthiness certification of the complete aircraft, carrying high compliance reference value.

Currently, the energy density of most eVTOL batteries on the market is concentrated in the 280-320Wh/kg range. The 350Wh/kg level belongs to the industry's first tier. Higher energy density can directly help aircraft increase range, reduce weight, and boost payload capacity, but the higher the energy density, the stronger the material activity, and the greater the difficulty of thermal safety management, which is why this test is so critical.

CATL also revealed that this 350Wh/kg prismatic cell is already ready for mass production and will first be installed on the Fengfei manned eVTOL aircraft.