Zeekr presents LFP battery with fast charging rate
According to Zeekr, the LFP battery makes it possible to charge a range of 500 kilometres within 15 minutes. The maximum charging power is said to be 500 kW and the maximum charging rate 4.5C. This means that the energy content should be around 110 kWh. In addition, thanks to the use of newly developed materials and a simplified structural design, the volume utilisation of the new battery pack will reach 83.7 per cent, according to the company. The new product will be marketed under the name “Golden Battery”.
In China, several manufacturers are currently competing for the launch of LFP batteries that can be charged as quickly as possible. Just this week, SVOLT announced the prospect of LFP batteries with charging rates of up to 5C for 2024. CATL presented its Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery in the summer, which is intended to support 4C charging. Desten, a US developer, is also working on this topic.
Zeekr states that its LFP battery was developed within three years by a team of 1,000 research and development engineers and is already in mass production. The production site is a battery plant belonging to Zeekr’s parent company Geely Holding Group in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. The “Golden Battery” will make its debut in the Zeekr 007, with which the company is targeting the mass market for the first time. Further Zeekr models with the new battery are to follow.
The 007 is the first saloon in the Zeekr range. Based on an 800-volt platform, the model will be available for prices starting at 229,900 yuan – the equivalent of around 29,000 euros. This price shows: Zeekr is now adding a mid-range vehicle for the mass market to its three premium models for the first time. The new electric saloon from the Geely subsidiary is 4.87 metres long and is available either as a rear-wheel drive model with 310 kW of power or with a 475 kW all-wheel drive. Two battery variants are to be offered for a range of up to 688 or 870 kilometres according to the Chinese standard. It is not yet known whether both or just one will be based on LFP chemistry.
What is clear, however, is that all versions of the Zeekr 007 will have an 800-volt architecture. According to Car News China, the model will be based on a platform called PMA2+, which was developed by Geely and Volvo. The previous Zeekr models are based on the Group’s SEA platform. So far, only the Zeekr 001 FR in the Zeekr range has 800 volts.
In addition to the battery innovation, Zeekr has also announced the development of HPC charging stations. The aim is to have 1,000 stations by the end of 2024 and 10,000 by the end of 2026. The company currently operates 401 fast-charging stations in China with 2,261 charging points, each with an output of 360 kW.
0 Comments