A Chinese EV maker is claiming the world's fastest-charging championship belt after unveiling a battery that can go from 10% charged to 80% in a mere 10 and a half minutes.
Interesting Engineering reported on Zeekr's impressive achievement that unleashes the power of new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries instead of the more commonly used nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries.
In a press release, the company said the record 5.5C ultra-fast charging will help in "removing its customers' range anxiety." The batteries will be found in the company's newest sedan, model 007, which Interesting Engineering noted is available for delivery now.
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Bringing charge time down plays a huge role in calming drivers' fears. Another concern is how batteries charge in the cold. Zeekr says their battery will charge from 10% to 80% in under a half-hour, even in temperatures as cold as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.
Competitor brands like Tesla have taken their cracks at speeding up charging. The Supercharger network now supports up to 200 miles of charge in 15 minutes.
The Polestar 5, meanwhile, revealed a prototype battery pack in April that edges out Zeekr with the 10 percent to 80 percent charge achieved in 10 minutes.
Another avenue is getting away from batteries entirely. BMW is pursuing commercial fuel-cell vehicles powered by hydrogen that could charge to 300 miles of range in under four minutes.
Another aspect of range anxiety is the availability of fast charging. Zeekr has grand plans in the competitive Chinese EV market. Currently, they operate 500 ultra-fast stations among their 2,700 charging piles, but the goal is to blow that away with 10,000 ultra-fast stations by 2026, per the news release.
Stateside, Tesla provides the industry-leading charging network. Increasingly, EV drivers of different brands can use them by adopting their North American Charging Standard.
Faster and more convenient charging bolsters the case for switching to an EV. Other major selling points are industry-low maintenance costs, fuel savings, and reduced individual tailpipe pollution.
Collectively, EVs help reduce the reliance on dirty energy that contributes to the dangerous warming of the planet.
Zeekr's parent company, Geely Holding Group, also owns Volvo and Lotus, which makes the brand's international future interesting. The brand hasn't been shy in the past about coming to the U.S. and calling out Tesla as they chase the world's fastest charge and longest range EV.
America's recently implemented 100% tariff on Chinese EVs is a major obstacle to the brand coming overseas at a competitive price. Similarly, Europe's 45.3% tariff has pushed Chinese companies to offer hybrid vehicles or shift production to Europe, as Reuters reported.
No matter how it plays out, advancements in charging speed bode well for the industry and EV drivers.
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