Geely counters BYD with a 2.25-MW charging system
Geely is entering the race for higher charging speeds in China with a new generation of its Smart Charging technology. Combined with a battery capable of 12C charging, electric vehicles can be charged from 10% to 70% in four and a half minutes using a specially developed charging system.
The Chinese automaker unveiled the new technology in Ningbo alongside the fifth generation of its Geely Smart Charging Station. According to the manufacturer, it can achieve a peak power output of up to 2,250 kW. This surpasses, on paper, BYD’s Flash-Charging Station introduced in March, which provides a maximum of 1,500 kW through a single connection.
According to reports from the CnevPost portal, the high performance of the battery is only part of the overall system. Geely pairs it with its “Shendun Golden Battery,” designed for extremely fast charging, which supports a maximum charging rate of 12C. In practical tests, Geely claims that Lynk & Co 10 and Zeekr 001 equipped with this battery took 4:30 minutes to increase their charge from 10% to 70%. It takes 8:40 minutes to go from 10% to 97%.
By doing so, Geely slightly beats the figures cited by BYD for its second generation of Blade Batteries. BYD claims that with its flash-charging system, it can reach 70 percent charge in five minutes from 10 percent and 97 percent in nine minutes under normal temperatures. An even faster result was shown in a test conducted in July by FAW’s Hongqi brand, which reached 70 percent charge in 3:41 minutes — however, no timeline for mass production of this technology has been announced yet.
Geely relies on 12C and AI-driven charging control
To manage high charging speeds, Geely uses the “Xingrui PowerMind” model developed in collaboration with Chinese AI company StepFun. This system connects the vehicle, battery, charging station, cloud, power grid, and stationary storage, adjusting the charging strategy based on the vehicle and battery conditions.
The system is designed to predict battery temperature up to 30 seconds in advance and adjust the charging power accordingly. Geely aims to keep the average temperature during fast charging below 55 degrees Celsius and the peak temperature below 65 degrees Celsius. Liquid cooling supports this thermal management, extending from the stationary battery storage unit through the charging station, cables, and charging connector to the vehicle’s battery.
Geely also addresses the impact of repeated fast charging on batteries. A so-called lithium-ion pulse regeneration technique is intended to reactivate lithium ions that have accumulated at the negative electrode using micro-pulses. Together with AI-based charging management, this technology is supposed to increase the cycle life by up to 20 percent according to the manufacturer. However, the company does not specify the exact lifespan at this point.
For home charging, Geely employs a strategy of lower charging power to minimize the impact of frequent fast charging on the battery. Meanwhile, for more affordable electric vehicles, Geely is developing the next generation of its Ultra Short Blade Battery. A proprietary laser welding process is intended to reduce heat generation during charging by 10%, while increasing the maximum charging rate to 6C.
The competition for extremely fast charging times has intensified significantly in China recently. It increasingly involves not only batteries and vehicles but also the development of appropriate megawatt-level charging infrastructure. BYD had already installed 10,000 of its flash-charging stations by the end of August and aims to reach 20,000 by the end of 2026. Battery manufacturer Sunwoda has also introduced a fast-charging battery and plans to set up 10,000 megawatt-class charging stations by the end of 2027.