Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle (EV) brand of Chinese automotive giant Geely, has unveiled a new in-house developed lithium-iron phospahate (LFP) battery that is said to support “ultra-fast charging”, while still boasting high energy density and “excellent safety”.
The company says that the new batteries “outperforms many competitors” in charging performance, even in low temperature climates. Thanks to its 800V electrical system, the new LFP battery technology, which will make its official debut with the upcoming Zeekr 007 sedan in January 2024, is said to be able to add up to 500 km of range in just 15 minutes of charging, although Geely stopped short from revealing its actual power capacities.
LFP batteries are usually lower in energy density at the cell level in comparison to the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry that’s used in most high performance EVs. To combat the inherent downside, Geely engineers have designed the new LFP batteries to achieve a high energy density at the pack level, using “newly-developed materials and simplified structural design” to achieve an 83.7% volume utilisation within the overall battery pack.
Despite its high energy density and charging performance, Geely says that the battery does not come with compromise in safety. The new LFP battery pack successfully passed six strict safety tests, including a nail penetration test, conducted by the National Motor Vehicle Quality Inspection and Testing Center in China.
Aside from new battery technology, Zeekr says that it is rapidly expanding its “ultra-fast charging” infrastructure in China, which will work hand-in-hand to provide its customers with the best EV experience. As of the end of November, Zeekr has already opened 401 of such charging stations across China, with over 2,200 charge points offering 360 kW of DC power.
The company expects to expand its network to 1,000 stations in 2024, and will be operating over 10,000 ultra-fast charging ports in 2026.
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