Geely surpasses BYD in power with 2.2 MW charger for electric cars

Geely presented this Wednesday (23), in China, an ultra-fast charging system that, according to the manufacturer, takes the battery of an electric car from 10% to 70% in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. From 10% to 97%, the process takes 8 minutes and 40 seconds under normal temperature conditions. The novelty is a direct response to BYD, the main rival in the Chinese market.

To achieve these times, the system depends on a 2.2 MW infrastructure, with a peak of 2,250 kW, and batteries capable of accepting recharging at a high rate.

The power exceeds by about 50% that of BYD’s Flash Charging 2.0, of 1.5 MW, which takes a battery from 10% to 97% in nine minutes. Despite the large difference in energy delivery, the recharge times of the two brands are close in practice.

The announcement comes amid a technology war in the Chinese market, where electric sales fell for 11 consecutive months through August. Automakers began to compete for buyers with autonomous driving systems, greater autonomy and ultra-fast charging.

BYD plans to build 90,000 stations by 2028, according to Deutsche Bank, which cites a meeting with the company’s management.

Artificial intelligence controls temperature

To withstand such a load without damaging the battery, Geely uses artificial intelligence in the cloud and in the car itself. Virtual simulations and embedded deep learning models monitor cell health in real time, control temperatures, and anticipate risks.

The system, called Xingrui PowerMind, was developed with the Chinese company StepFun and seeks to keep the battery at an average temperature of 55 °C, with a ceiling of 65 °C.

To Reuters, Geely executive Zhang Dewang said that current charging speeds are already approaching the physical limit and that the gains from even faster recharges tend to be smaller and smaller.

Maximum recharge debuts in premium

models The complete technology, with a 12C rate battery, is already demonstrated in the Lynk & Co 10 and Zeekr 001, of the group’s premium brands. For more affordable models, Geely is developing a 6C version of the new battery, which debuts in the updated Galaxy E5 electric SUV and should go from 10% to 70% in about 8 minutes and 25 seconds, according to the company.

The staggering reflects a technical limit: the power of the electric station is only used if the car can withstand the current. Compact models, aimed at the large volume of sales, usually have less robust electrical architectures and components.

Without structural modifications, which make the final price more expensive, the vehicle absorbs only the maximum load that its hardware allows, regardless of the charger. Actual performance also varies with temperature and charge level.

In Brazil, Geely operates in partnership with Renault, from which it bought a stake in the local operation, and sells the EX2 and EX5 electric SUVs (also with a hybrid variant). Zeekr, the group’s premium brand, also sells models in the country.