Ten-minute EV charging achieved – well, almost. We’ve seen a lot of “world’s fastest” EV battery charging claims in recent months and years, but most of them relate to battery technology that’s still in the research or prototype stages. This week, Chinese automaker Zeekr made a new claim to the title, but it’s for the 800-V lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery in its updated 007 sedan, which is set to launch in just a few days.
Like its better-known global Geely siblings Volvo and Polestar, Zeekr constantly has its finger on the pulse of cutting-edge battery technology. The difference is that the Chinese battery market has a faster pulse.
In 2022, Zeekr emerged as the first automaker to develop a vehicle around CATL’s headline-grabbing long-range Qilin battery. In December 2023, it announced its own in-house battery development progress by introducing an LFP battery that it said could charge for 500 km (310 miles) in 15 minutes. Days later, the 75 kWh “Gold Battery” battery debuted in the all-new 2024 Zeekr 007 sedan.
Zeekr
Here we are, exactly 3/4 years later, Zeekr is updating its 2025 007 sedan with a newer version of the battery that promises significantly faster charging. At this week’s Tech Day, it announced that the new battery makes the leap to 5.5C charging, cutting the 10% to 80% charge time to just 10.5 minutes. That charge time won’t be affected by extreme weather conditions, but Zeekr claims a 10% to 80% charge in 30 minutes in temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F).
Zeekr didn’t include battery capacity or range figures in its English-language press release, but according to multiple reports from China, the updated LFP battery maintains the same 75 kWh capacity as the original, equating to more than 680 km (422 miles) of CLTC range. That’s around 480 km (298 miles) of range in a 10.5-minute timeframe, bringing EV charging convenience even closer to the few minutes it takes to fill up a full tank of gas.
Those looking to maximize range with ultra-fast charging will have the option to order the 2025 Zeekr 007 with an 870 km (540 mi) CATL Qilin battery.
As for Zeekr’s world-fastest claims, the new battery shaves about a minute off the 11 minutes and 28 seconds of charging the Zeekr 001 achieved with CATL’s 95 kWh Shenxing battery in April, and roughly equates to the 10 minutes and 36 seconds mark the bullet-like Mega MPV achieved with Li Auto’s 102 kWh CATL Qilin battery in February. The Li Mega mark was documented by a Chinese influencer, with Li Auto officially announcing that the time it takes to get the Mega from 10% to 80% charge is 12 minutes to achieve the 500km it takes to get it from 10% to 80% charge.
At its own tech conference in May, Volkswagen-backed Chinese battery maker Gotion claimed it had a battery that could reach 80% charge in 9.8 minutes and was ready for mass production. It also detailed a second battery that is allegedly capable of a 600km/10min (373mile) charge. However, neither was offered in a production vehicle model at the time.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., Hyundai Motor Group’s fast-charging system continues to lead the way, with vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia EV6 taking about 18 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%. Motor Trend With the Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Long Range, 193 miles (311 km) were covered in 15 minutes on the charger, while Tesla's claimed 200 miles (322 km) of range was reached in 15 minutes.
So, if it hasn't been made clear before, the Chinese are really taking the wheel when it comes to pushing the boundaries of electric vehicle development.
An ultra-fast-charging battery is only as good as the existing ultra-fast charging network to fire up the top speeds needed to achieve minimum charge times, and Zeekr continues to address that part of the equation by expanding its ultra-fast 800-V network. The company plans to double its 500-strong Chinese charging station network by the end of 2024, and more than triple the total number of chargers available to 10,000 by 2026.
Source: Zeekr