At its 2026 'Super Tech Day' conference, CATL's chief scientist Gao Huan announced that the company's condensed matter battery, specifically developed for electric aviation, has successfully completed its maiden flight on a 4-ton commercial aircraft. The battery achieves an energy density of 500 Wh/kg, a critical threshold for practical electric aviation.
This marks the world's first successful application of a high-energy-density condensed battery on a multi-ton electric aircraft, bridging the gap between laboratory R&D and commercial aviation. Validation on aircraft above 8 tons is scheduled as the next step. Additionally, CATL plans to apply this aviation-grade technology to passenger vehicles, launching the Qilin Condensed Battery with cell-level energy density of 350 Wh/kg and 760 Wh/L.
For B2B clients in the drone, eVTOL, and broader low-altitude economy sectors, this breakthrough directly addresses the core challenge of range limitation. Potential applications include:
This development potentially enables new business models and operational efficiencies across the electric aviation supply chain.
Source: Based on report from GG-LB.
