Chinese EV company Zeekr says its battery can charge faster than Tesla

BEIJING – Chinese electric car brand Zeekr announced new batteries on Tuesday that it claims have the fastest charge in the world.

The offering is intended to address long-standing consumer concerns about battery driving range and ease of charging.

Zeekr’s new batteries can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 10.5 minutes, using the automaker’s ultra-fast charging stations, the US-listed company said. Zeekr said the new battery could achieve the same charging performance even at a negative temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) in about 30 minutes.

For comparison: Elon Musk’s Tesla says the supercharger will allow the company’s vehicles to be charged up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.

The company’s website states that the Model 3 can charge up to 175 miles (280 kilometers) in 15 minutes, or about 48% of its stated range of 221 miles (363 kilometers).

Chinese car manufacturer Nio has also offered the alternative of a three-minute battery change. The subscription service automatically replaces the battery of certain car models with a charged battery at specific swapping stations.

Zeekr said the 2025 007 sedan, which will be delivered next week, will be the first model to use the new batteries.

The company noted that it has opened more than 500 ultra-fast charging stations in China and plans to double that number by the end of this year. Zeekr wants to operate more than 10,000 ultra-fast charging stations by 2026.

The GeelyThe homegrown electric car company delivered a record number of vehicles in June, making deliveries for the first half of the year the largest among US-listed Chinese companies that sell only pure electric cars. Deliveries fell slightly in July.