China-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Zeekr has claimed the “world’s fastest-charging” battery title after unveiling its latest battery pack that supports 5.5C charging.
The battery pack can charge from 10 to 80 percent in just 10.5 minutes. And, Zeekr’s newest sedan, model 007, will be delivered next week with this battery pack.
The EV brand owned by the Geely Holding Group, also owns the UK-based luxury sports car brand Lotus and the globally renowned Swedish brand Volvo.
The firm began delivering its EVs in October 2021 and has over 300,000 customers across sedan, multi-utility vehicle (MUV), and sports utility vehicle (SUV) models.
The parent company, Geely, is vertically integrated and has research and development offices in China and Sweden. While the EV market is highly competitive in China, Zeekr has focused on elevating its customers’ charging experience, and its newest battery offering is delivering on that front.
10 to 80 in 10.5 minutes
According to the company press release, Zeekr’s upcoming EV uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack instead of the nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries conventionally used in EVs. Zeekr’s in-house e-powertrain research and development team has developed version three (V3) of its ultra-fast charging piles.
When combined, the two components deliver superfast charging speeds of just over 10 minutes for 80 percent SOC. The battery management system (BMS) on the newest sedan also ensures the charging experience remains stable even under harsh conditions.
EV batteries are known for slower and erratic charge-discharge cycles in extremely low temperatures. Zeekr, however, claims that its newest battery can charge from 10 – 80 percent SOC in 30 minutes, even when ambient temperatures are as low as 14 Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius).
Zeekr currently has 500 ultra-fast charging stations installed amongst its 2,700 charging piles in China. The company has ambitious plans to double this number this year and then increase it to 10,000 by 2026.
Zeekr’s upcoming luxury sedan model 007. Image credit: Zeekr.
Eyeing global markets
To address range anxiety among customers, EV makers equipped the cars with larger battery packs, which took longer to charge. To prevent this from being another hurdle, fast charging was introduced to charge the vehicle in fewer hours, but the race is now on to get this to a few minutes.
US-based EV maker Tesla offers a 15-minute charging option that allows its Model 3 to go 175 miles (282 km). Yet this is just under half of the car’s full range. So, Zeekr’s offering of charging a sedan to 80 percent SOC in nearly 10 minutes is a major leap forward.
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Like its compatriot, BYD, Zeekr, too, is seeking to expand globally, and the promise of charging an EV at about the same time it takes to fill up a tank of a gasoline-powered car is a great way to enter new markets.
With the US government imposing a 100 percent border tax on EVs made in China, it remains to be seen how Zeekr will achieve price competitiveness when entering the US market.
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Ameya Paleja Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.
