World's fastest 600 kW electric car battery charging network would add 180 miles of range in 5 minutes ^↺

The world's largest EV battery maker CATL's new 620-mile Kirin battery will soon have a charging network to match. The first vehicle with the cell-to-pack Kirin battery with 4680-style cells will be the boxy Zeekr 009 MPV, and the brand's parent company Geely has unveiled the world's fastest electric car charger this side of megawatt ones for semi truck EVs to go with it. Rated at the jaw-dropping 600 kW output, it will be able to give the Zeekr 009 about 300 kilometers (186 miles) of range in 5 minutes. 

Zeekr's subsidiary Viridi E-mobility Technology (VREMT) says it will be able to commercialize the ultrafast charging technology by building on its existing network of stalls for Zeekr vehicles. Their 600 kW upgrade has been achieved by toying with expansion of the liquid cooling component so that it allows for a safe increase of the power output up from the current 360 kW rating.

For comparison, XPeng recently announced commercialization plans for its own fast charging network rated at 480 kW, while NIO has detailed an upcoming 500 kW technology for its own vehicles. Thus, the Zeekr 009 will be able to take advantage of the fastest 600 kW piles so far and hopefully its big battery pack would be able to take in at least some of this power quicker for those promised 1000 kilometers (621-mile) trips on a charge.

The Zeekr will have to duel with XPeng's G9 model which also supports an 800V battery charging system, but is rated for a 702-kilometer (436-mile) range. It will be interesting to see whether the slower on paper, 480 kW charging network of XPeng, would be able to match the 600 kW Zeekr piles given the different battery chemistries. As of August 31, however, VREMT had 453 Zeekr charging stations built in China that could eventually undergo the 600 kW upgrade, whereas XPeng's new 480 kW network is still in its nascence.

Get the Lectron - Tesla to J1772 Adapter on Amazon