Zeekr electric cars that charge in 10 minutes in China will soon be able to do the same in other countries. Europe should also be involved in a second phase.
Zeekr, the Chinese manufacturer of electric cars integrated into the Geely group (Lotus, Polestar, Smart), markets its models in many countries, including in Europe. Some of its electric cars, like the Zeekr 001 or 7X, are known to charge in 10 minutes and 30 seconds in China. But it is not the same in Europe, because of the power of the charging stations, which is lower than in China.
It takes a power of more than 500 kW to achieve these ultra-fast charging times. For comparison, a Tesla Model Y recharges in 20 to 25 minutes with a power of 170 to 250 kW. A Porsche Taycan performs the same exercise in 18 minutes with a power of 320 kW.
Where are the terminals?
It is difficult in Europe to find terminals with a charging power higher than 350 or 400 kW in the best case. But the Chinese competitor Nio still offers a power of 500 kW and even 640 kW on some stations in Europe. Note that Zeekr electric cars can plug into Nio terminals.
During CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Zeekr made a major announcement that goes in the right direction: the company will install 800-volt fast charging stations around the world, starting with two main markets. These are Australia and Thailand.
To go further
Here is the fastest charging station in the world: full in less than 5 minutes
The press release does not specify the power, but it is a safe bet that it will be the third generation terminals (v4) from Zeekr which climbs to 800 kW. For the moment, Zeekr has installed 800 fast charging stations in China. A somewhat disappointing figure, especially when compared to Nio which already has more than 4,000 stations around the world.
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