Geely, or more accurately one of its many subsidiaries Viridi E-Mobility Technology or VREMT for short, has announced the ongoing development of a charging technology that will be capable of 600kW. In fact, they say they’re on the cusp of mass production.
This promises much faster energy replenishment in compatible electric vehicles with the company claiming a mere 5-minute charge is enough to provide up to 300km of usable range. By contrast, the most powerful DC rapid charging points we’ve seen so far extend to 350kW, and those are still few and far between.
Geely developing 600kW EV charging infrastructure
Even today, the count of in-production EVs capable of fully utilising a 350kW charger is as few as the charging stations themselves, at least at the time of writing. Only the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and the Kia EV6, which allow a 350kW DC charge, come readily to mind.
Most rapid charging stations found here in Malaysia are of the more pedestrian 180kW variety, which is quick but by no means in the same league as 600kW. That is, of course, if your EV can accept all that incoming power. Charging is all about the lowest common value, so even the fastest DC charger plugged into a Mazda MX-30 will still be down-regulated to 40kW, the car’s rated maximum.
Naturally, Geely will be deploying these super-fast chargers in China first, primarily serving the Zeekr 001 that’s capable of charging at 600kW thanks to a new Qilin long-range battery supplied by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL).
With the Zeekr brand being one of their first customers, the 009 electric luxury MPV will also be fitted with the energy dense battery, though the Ningde-based battery manufacturer seems itching to start supplying a large variety of client automotive brands.