Geely shows production-ready ultra-fast charging technology for electric vehicles
Chinese Geely presented a new generation of ultra-fast charging technology for electric vehicles and a charging station with peak power of 2,250 kW. During real testing, the car battery charged from 10% to 70% in 4 minutes 30 seconds.
The new Geely Smart Charging system was presented by the company on September 23 in Ningbo, China. It is based on the Shendun Golden Battery, designed for peak charging rate up to 12C, and a fifth-generation charging station.
During testing, Lynk & Co 10 and Zeekr 001 cars with the new battery gained charge from 10% to 70% in 4 minutes 30 seconds, and to 97% in 8 minutes 40 seconds. Geely positions the system as technology ready for mass application, not just a laboratory prototype.
Peak power of the new charging station is 2,250 kW. For comparison, the Flash Charging system from BYD presented earlier this year provides maximum power of a single charging connector up to 1,500 kW and charges a compatible battery from 10% to 70% in about five minutes.
At the same time, the station's power rating does not mean that any electric vehicle will be able to accept more than 2 MW. Actual speed depends on the battery, the vehicle's electrical architecture, temperature, and capabilities of the cooling system.
Geely also applied a liquid cooling system of the entire charging chain - from energy storage and the station itself to the cable, charging port, and car battery. Charging management is performed by the AI system Xingrui PowerMind, which predicts battery temperature and adjusts power during charging.
Separately, the company presented technology that, according to its calculations, can increase battery lifespan by up to 20% thanks to pulse current control during charging.
Geely is also preparing a less powerful version of the technology for more mainstream models. In particular, the updated electric crossover Galaxy E5 has already received an 800-volt architecture and a battery with charging up to 6C. In this model, charging from 10% to 70% takes about 8 minutes 25 seconds.
Competition in the field of ultra-fast charging in China is intensifying. In addition to Geely and BYD, own solutions have recently been shown by Hongqi, Dongfeng, Xpeng, and battery manufacturers. BYD, for its part, is already deploying a network of megawatt charging stations in China and has begun installing such units outside the country.
