New super battery charges electric cars at record speed

The Chinese electric car manufacturer Zeekr has presented a new lithium iron phosphate battery. It is designed to charge electric cars from 10 to 80 percent in just ten minutes.

The Chinese electric car manufacturer Zeekr recently announced a new battery for its Zeekr 007 model. What makes it special is the comparatively high charging speed. Under optimal conditions, the lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP) can charge from ten to 80 percent in just 10.5 minutes.

This corresponds to a C-rate of 5.5 and represents a new record. So far, no manufacturer has been able to achieve such a value in the series production of electric cars. Zeekr wants to use its battery to minimize customers' range anxiety and enable faster and more efficient use of electric vehicles.

Zeekr 007: New battery charges at 800 volts

With a specially tuned battery management system, the manufacturer promises stable charging performance even at low temperatures. At minus ten degrees Celsius, charging from ten to 80 percent should only take about 30 minutes. This means that the charging speed would be higher, even in adverse conditions, than with common nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries that are currently installed in many electric cars.

However, fast charging is only possible at special 800-volt charging stations. Zeekr offers these in China under the name “V3”. The company currently operates over 500 such ultra-fast charging stations with more than 2,700 charging columns. By the end of 2024, this network is expected to grow to 1,000 stations and by 2026 will include over 10,000 charging points that support 800-volt charging.

C-Rate determines the speed of the charging process

The C-rate is an important measure of battery charging performance and indicates the current at which a charger can charge or discharge the battery. A C-rate of one means that it takes about an hour to fully charge or discharge a battery. The higher the value, the faster the charging process.

For comparison: A VW ID.3 with a 58 kWh battery has a C-rate of 1.3. With its new battery and a C-rate of over five, Zeekr is setting new standards in the industry and should make it easier for customers to switch to electromobility in the long term.

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