By BEIJING — Chinese electric car brand Zeekr announced new batteries on Tuesday, which it says boast the fastest charge in the world.
The offering aims to address consumers’ long-standing worries about battery driving range and ease of charging.
In just 10.5 minutes, Zeekr’s new batteries can go from a 10% to an 80% charge, using the automaker’s ultra-fast charging stations, the U.S.-listed company said. Zeekr said that the new battery could achieve the same charge performance even in negative 10 degree Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) weather in about 30 minutes.
Comparatively, Elon Musk’s Tesla says its supercharger allow the company’s vehicles to charge up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
The company’s website says the Model 3 can recharge up to 175 miles in 15 minutes, or about 48% of the car’s stated 363 mile-range.
Chinese automaker Nio has also offered the alternative of a three-minute battery swap. The subscription service automatically changes out the battery of designated car models with a charged one at specific swap stations.
Zeekr said that its 2025 007 sedan, which is set to begin deliveries next week, will be the first model to use the new batteries.
The company noted it has opened more than 500 ultra-fast charging stations in China and plans to double that tally by then end of this year. Zeekr aims to operate more than 10,000 ultra-fast charging stations in 2026.
The Geely-owned electric car company delivered a record number of vehicles in June, making its deliveries for the first half of the year the largest among U.S.-listed Chinese companies that only sell pure electric cars. Deliveries fell slightly in July.
