- The newest Lynk & Co 10 and Zeekr 001 versions can charge from 10-70% in 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
- That's thanks to Geely Auto Group's latest Smart Charging System which can deliver 2,250 kilowatts of peak charging speeds.
- The automaker says it is using AI to protect the battery's long-term health and performance.
Imagine plugging in your electric car at a public fast-charging station and getting back on the road after just four minutes. That’s now a reality in China, where Geely Auto Group has revealed a bleeding edge charging system that appears to be the world’s fastest.
The automaker revealed its fifth-generation Smart Charging System and a new Ultra Short Blade Battery on Wednesday. The new charger can deliver a whopping 2.25 megawatts of peak charging speeds. This basically obliterates any Western EV and charging system and also one-ups rivals like BYD, which made a big splash last year by rolling out its 1.5 MW Flash chargers. Geely and BYD have been locked in a battle over fast-charging speeds.
Supported by a new battery system, EVs from Geely Auto Group brands Lynk & Co and Zeekr can charge in the real world from 10-70% in just 4 minutes and 30 seconds, Geely claimed. A 10-97% charge will take 8 minutes and 40 seconds. BYD’s Flash chargers can do the 10-70% charge in about five minutes and 10-97% in 9 minutes.
Pumping electrons into a battery at such blistering speeds can be detrimental to the cells if not properly managed. The automaker said it was using an AI-powered system called Xingrui PowerMind to predict battery temperatures and adjust speeds dynamically. It’s designed to keep the battery’s average temperature at 55 degrees Celsius, with a ceiling of 65 degrees Celsius.
There’s also an innovative thermal management system, which Geely calls an “end-to-end five point liquid cooling.” It manages heat in a coordinated manner between the battery pack, charging port, charging cable, charging dispenser, and the energy storage batteries supporting the chargers. Together, all those components help deliver 2.2 MW, speeds previously unheard of for a single plug.
Geely makes some interesting claims about the battery too. It said it had developed a “lithium-ion pulse restoration” technology, which uses micro pulse currents to reactivate lithium ions accumulated at the anode during repeated fast-charging. The anode is the side of the battery where electrons travel during charging.
What the automaker is referring to here is the lithium plating that can occur during ultra-fast charging, wherein ions accumulating at the electrode can potentially degrade the battery. Think of it as pouring water into a bottle faster than what its opening can accommodate, leading to spillage. At least in theory, these micro pulses could dislodge those stuck ions and get them moving and useful again.
For reference, some of the fastest-charging EVs currently on the market in the U.S. are the Lucid Gravity and Porsche Cayenne Electric, both having a maximum charging rate of 400 kilowatts. When the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe becomes available, it will take the crown among western automakers with 600 kW of peak charging speed and a 10-80% charging time of just 11 minutes, which, by its own measure, is super impressive.
But they’re nowhere close to what’s now on sale in China, where the newest EVs and charging technology are completely in a league of their own. (Geely didn't say what peak charging rate its cars can actually reach.)
Where BYD might still have an edge over Geely in terms of charging is the sheer scale of deployment. As of August, the company had already deployed 10,000 of its T-shaped Flash chargers in China and plans to have 20,000 by the end of the year. It's planning to install 3,000 of these in Europe, too. Whether Geely can match this scale of deployment is something we'll find out over time.
