Zeekr 7X catches fire near charger and manufacturer points to previous crash as contributing factor

A Zeekr 7X caught fire on Sunday morning (9) at a charging station in Ningbo, in China’s Zhejiang province. There were no injuries. In a statement released hours later, the automaker said that the preliminary investigation identified a serious collision recently suffered by the electric SUV, without the car having undergone inspection or repair at the brand’s authorized workshop. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The case took place at a gas station in the Haishu district, in front of a residential condominium. Videos posted on Chinese social media show the vehicle with the front compartment open and some plastic trim removed, as well as a man approaching the front of the car and then walking away. Then a bang is heard, white smoke appears and sparks and flames appear in the lower part of the SUV. Firefighters controlled the fire before the vehicle was completely destroyed.

There is divergence among the sources on a central point. Zeekr classified the episode as “excessive heating” of a vehicle at a charging station, and part of the Chinese press, such as Gasgoo, reported that the car was charging. The images circulating, however, indicate that the 7X was not connected to a charger, and there is so far no information linking the station to the origin of the flames.

A source heard by Gasgoo said that the car crashed on June 11, was repaired outside the authorized network and then sold by the first owner. The automaker said it had sent teams to the site and created a working group to monitor the case, and said it collaborated with the firefighters in the investigation. The final conclusion rests with the Chinese authorities.

Why the previous beat matters

Severe impacts can compromise components of an electric car without leaving apparent damage. Among the items that need to be evaluated are the high-voltage battery, cables, connectors, the body structure and other high-voltage systems. This was precisely Zeehr’s warning in the statement: the company recommended a professional inspection in an authorized network after any collision and advised those who buy used electric vehicles to check the history of accidents and repairs before closing the deal.

The 7X in Brazil

Sold in the country since 2025, the 7X won in June the entry-level Premium version, for R$ 378 thousand, with a rear motor of 421 hp and 44,9 kgfm, 100 kWh battery and a range of 491 km by the Inmetro cycle. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 6 seconds. The Flagship configuration, from R$ 448 thousand, has two engines, all-wheel drive, 646 hp, 3,8 seconds in the same test and a shorter range of 423 km.

Both use 800-volt electrical architecture, which allows high-power recharging. The SUV measures 4.79 m in length and 2.90 m in wheelbase, and in 2025 it received five stars in Euro NCAP, with 91% protection for adults and 90% for children. Zeekr belongs to the Chinese group Geely, which also controls Volvo, Polestar and Lotus.