Hongqi unveils 12C ultra-fast charging battery

Hongqi says its new battery charged from 10 to 70 per cent in under four minutes during tests. The development marks another step in China's race to cut EV charging times with ultra-fast battery technology. Hongqi has completed performance tests for a new generation of ultra-fast charging battery at 25 degrees Celsius together with Lishen Battery and FAW’s battery subsidiary, China Automotive New Energy Battery Technology. The companies aim to significantly reduce charging times to make electric vehicles more practical and address remaining barriers to wider adoption. The new battery achieves a peak charging rate of 12C, allowing it to charge at up to twelve times its nominal capacity. To enable this, the developers combined a new anode with a specially formulated electrolyte to accelerate lithium-ion transport. They also applied additional measures, including a carbon-swelling coating and bulk doping, reducing the cell’s internal resistance by 15% compared to conventional cells based on the same chemistry. A key challenge posed by extremely high charging currents is the resulting thermal stress, which Hongqi addresses with an intelligent, uniform liquid cooling system. This system maintains the temperature difference across the entire battery pack within a narrow range of no more than three degrees Celsius during charging. An adaptive temperature management system further adjusts flexibly to driving and parking conditions to maximise efficiency and minimise the energy required for cooling. In performance tests, the prototype required only 3 minutes and 41 seconds to increase the state of charge (SoC) from 10% to 70%. For the range from 10% to 97%, the manufacturer states a charging time of just 8 minutes and 3 seconds. Upon market introduction, this system would outperform notable competitors such as BYD’s new generation Blade Battery, which takes approximately five minutes to charge from 10% to 70% and around nine minutes for a 10% to 97% charge. The hardware is supported by a safety-focused adaptive charging control system that monitors cell temperature rise in real time and dynamically adjusts the power curve. Continuous closed-loop verification of voltage and capacity is designed to effectively prevent overcharging and overvoltage. The company describes the system as “a significant milestone in power battery technology innovation.” However, the FAW Group has not yet disclosed when or in which production vehicles the technology will be deployed. This is already the brand’s second notable advancement in the battery sector within a short period, following the introduction of a first prototype with solid-state batteries just a few months ago. The ongoing innovation pressure underscores that reducing charging times has become a decisive differentiator for premium manufacturers in the competitive Chinese market. cnevpost.com, carnewschina.com