A full EV charging session in 4 minutes? There's a new challenger to BYD in the Mega Watt charging game | Tech Radar

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A full EV charging session in 4 minutes? There's a new challenger to BYD in the Mega Watt charging game

Monster 2.2MW charging speeds promised by Chinese brand Geely

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Geely plans to unveil new charging technology this week

The system will draw 2.2 Mega Watts of power during use

Charging sessions could take as little as four minutes

The Geely Group has taken to Chinese social media site Weibo to tease its next generation of charging technology, which the company says can fill batteries in around four minutes.

The news arrives along with details of a new Geely Galaxy E5, an all-electric premium SUV that is due for launch in China this year and is reportedly the first model that will able to use this new, ultra-fast charging technology.

Delivering a staggering peak power of 2.2MW, the next-generation "AI-powered" charging system is claimed to be able to deliver a full charging session in four minutes.

However, there’s no mention of whether that’s the standard 10-80% state of charge or something else entirely.

According to China EV Home, the Galaxy E5 uses an 800V architecture and Geely’s next-generation Aegis Short Blade battery, which will be available in 61.52k Wh and 70.01k Wh capacities.

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The batteries offer CLTC-rated ranges of 550 km (around 341 miles) and 635 km (395 miles) respectively, but it is the ultra-fast charging that will likely hog the headlines.

While there are very few details (Geely will hold an event imminently to unveil more), the AI involvement is reportedly to do with thermal control, which allows such a mammoth rate of charge without damaging battery cells.

Geely says its packs can last 3,500 charge-discharge cycles "with limited degradation”.

The EV dream has always been to recharge in the sort of time it takes to refuel a petrol or diesel counterpart, as this would arguably break down one of the biggest barriers to ownership: range anxiety.

Those with little experience of electric vehicles worry about becoming stranded when batteries run out of charge, only to be faced with an hour or more wait to get back on the road.

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However, most people that have owned a modern EV will likely argue that this isn’t really the case any more, but China continues to develop charging technology that prioritizes speed an convenience.

BYD has demonstrated its 1.5MW Flash chargers both in China and in Europe, where they are capable of brimming batteries in under 10 minutes.

Unfortunately, the only vehicles compatible with the tech (in Europe at least) happen to be some of the most expensive in the BYD stable.

Zeekr has also been pushing its own 1.2MW chargers in China, which are also capable of lighting-fast top-up times.

While it’s easy to see this as simple one-upmanship, China’s charging infrastructure needs to grow at a rapid rate to serve the more than 110 million EVs predicted to be on the roads by 2030.

This will mean installing more than 40 million charging points and approximately 300,000 high-power charging facilities to deal with the demand.

Having this mix of high and lower powered charging is the only way to meet all the needs of drivers, where high power and speed is essential in places like motorway service stations along busy travel corridors, while cheaper, lower-powered options benefit those charging curbside over night, for example.

Unlike many other nations, which have been comparatively slow to adopt electrification and the surrounding infrastructure, China appears to be exploring all avenues.

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Leon has been navigating a world where automotive and tech collide for almost 20 years, reporting on everything from in-car entertainment to robotised manufacturing plants. Currently, EVs are the focus of his attentions, but give it a few years and it will be electric vertical take-off and landing craft. Outside of work hours, he can be found tinkering with distinctly analogue motorcycles, because electric motors are no replacement for an old Honda inline four.

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