CATL Launches “Ultra-Hybrid Battery”: Are Ternary and LFP Transitioning from Rivalry to Integration?

On January 22, CATL launched the “Tianxing II Light Commercial All-Scenario Customized Series Solutions” and its supporting smart management application “Battery Butler” Tianxing Edition. The most notable among these is the Tianxing II Light Commercial Long-Range Battery, which is equipped with the first light commercial ultra-hybrid chemical system cell. This product integrates ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate materials within the same chemical system.

At a media briefing, CATL’s Chief Technology Officer, Gao Huan, elaborated on the breakthroughs of this technology: “Internally, we refer to this ternary-lithium-iron-phosphate material system as the ultra-hybrid system. It involves mixing battery materials, with the most direct effect being an increase in cell energy density while controlling costs.”

In fact, three months earlier, CATL had jointly released the ultra-hybrid system battery with Leapmotor and announced that it would be installed in Leapmotor’s flagship model, the D19.

Gao Huan stated: “Currently, the highest volumetric energy density of mass-produced lithium iron phosphate materials can reach over 450 watt-hours per liter, while ternary materials start at 500 watt-hours per liter.” When certain vehicle models require batteries with energy densities between 480 and 500 watt-hours per liter, traditional lithium iron phosphate cannot meet the demand, while ternary materials would significantly increase costs.

The emergence of the ultra-hybrid battery aims to fill this gap. It not only breaks through the energy density ceiling of lithium iron phosphate but also avoids the high costs associated with pure ternary lithium.

Today, the new energy vehicle market has increasingly higher requirements for driving range. In 2025, some extended-range vehicles were already equipped with batteries exceeding 60 kWh, and by 2026, multiple models, including Leapmotor’s D series, are expected to feature battery capacities around 80 kWh.

For lithium iron phosphate batteries to achieve a pure electric range exceeding 500 kilometers, more cells often need to be stacked, potentially leading to a vehicle mass exceeding three tons, which affects handling and safety. While ternary lithium batteries can provide higher energy density, cost remains a major barrier to their adoption in the mainstream market.

Solid-state batteries are regarded as the next-generation battery technology direction. According to predictions by Academician Ouyang Minggao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the industrialization of all-solid-state batteries may begin between 2027 and 2028, with full-scale mass production expected by 2030. However, solid-state batteries are still several years away from large-scale commercialization, and their cathode materials still primarily rely on high-nickel ternary systems. This creates development space for transitional technologies like the ultra-hybrid battery.

The technical realization of the ultra-hybrid battery is not a simple mix of two materials. Gao Huan admitted at the briefing: “There are numerous technical challenges to overcome, including interface issues between ternary and lithium iron phosphate, voltage platform issues, and electrolyte oxidation-reduction problems, among others.”

This fusion at the material level complements CATL’s earlier “dual-core battery” concept at the system architecture level. At the Super Technology Day in April 2025, CATL launched the Xiaoyao Dual-Core Battery, which achieves performance complementarity by arranging batteries with different chemical systems in separate zones. For example, the combination of sodium-ion and lithium iron phosphate can target extremely cold regions in northern areas, while the combination of ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate balances high performance with long range.

From the “dual-core” system architecture to the “ultra-hybrid” material level, CATL is breaking the performance boundaries of traditional power batteries across multiple dimensions. Professor Ai Xinping from Wuhan University stated: “Ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate are not an ‘either-or’ opposing relationship but scenario-based choices based on different technical characteristics.” This view aligns with CATL’s technological strategy.

At the briefing, Gao Huan revealed a key timeline: the large-scale commercial mass production of CATL’s ultra-hybrid battery is expected to begin in April 2026. This means that there are less than three months left before this technology officially enters the market.

CATL’s choice to first introduce the ultra-hybrid battery product in the commercial vehicle sector has its commercial logic. Gao Huan explained: “In intercity delivery scenarios, the required driving range is increasing. Using only ternary materials would make the economics difficult to justify. Additionally, charging is still not very convenient, so we innovatively applied the ultra-hybrid system battery to the commercial vehicle sector.”

It is understood that the Tianxing II Light Commercial Long-Range Battery has a single-pack capacity of 253 kWh, the largest in the light commercial industry. Equipped with this battery, vehicles can achieve a real-world long-range of 800 kilometers, easily covering mainstream intercity routes such as Guangzhou to Fuzhou without the need for mid-journey recharging. Additionally, the battery warranty has been extended to 10 years or 1 million kilometers, and technologies such as self-compensating lithium cathode materials and self-repairing electrolytes are applied to further extend battery life. These characteristics are particularly suitable for commercial vehicle operation scenarios that require high economy and reliability.

Regarding market competition and product mass production pace, Gao Huan stated: “Other companies are also researching ultra-hybrid batteries, but CATL is the first in this field to achieve a mass production breakthrough.”

With the mass production of ultra-hybrid batteries, ternary lithium and lithium iron phosphate materials are no longer an either-or choice but can work synergistically within the same cell, leveraging their respective advantages. From a broader perspective, ultra-hybrid battery technology offers a new development direction for the power battery industry.

As the mass production target of April 2026 approaches, ultra-hybrid batteries will be tested in real commercial environments. Their market performance will depend on various factors, including actual performance, cost control capabilities, and more.