CATL Unveils TECTRANS II Battery Platform at IAA Transport Show

Chinese battery maker CATL has unveiled a new battery system called TECTRANS II for trucks and buses, shown at a transportation trade show in Hanover, Germany. The heavy-duty version can give a truck up to 1,000 kilometers (about 621 miles) of range on a charge, and can reach 80% charge in 25 minutes using high-power charging equipment. CATL says the batteries are built to last 12 years or 1.5 million kilometers while still holding 70% of their original capacity, and the casing is designed to resist corrosion for 15 years.

This news is about commercial trucks and buses, not home batteries or rooftop solar systems, so it will not directly affect equipment you'd install at your house. But it is a sign of how fast battery technology is improving across the board — longer range, faster charging, and longer battery life are goals shared by the home battery storage systems some homeowners pair with solar panels. Progress in one part of the battery industry, especially from a maker as large as CATL, often filters down into the packs used in home storage products over time.

CATL also signed an agreement with delivery company DHL to build out charging and logistics networks for electric freight trucks in Europe. That is mainly relevant to the shipping industry, though it points to more electric vehicles and charging infrastructure appearing on roads generally. Nothing here changes what's available for home energy upgrades or rebates right now.