Zeekr 001 becomes China’s fastest-charging EV

Zeekr has reported setting a nationwide charging speed record. According to CarNewsChina quoting the company, its 001 liftback was able to go from 10 to 80 percent charged in 11 minutes 28 seconds. Caveats? Yes, there are caveats.

The car tested was equipped with a 95-kWh battery pack from CATL. After five minutes plugged in, it already had enough juice for 264 km (164 miles) of range. Another five minutes in, it had enough charge for 432 km (268 miles). When the test was over, the Zeekr 001 reported having 472 km (293.3 miles) of range.

It’s important to note that the test was conducted when it was warm outside (+26 °C / +79 ºF). The car was also plugged to the strongest Zeekr V3 charging point nominally rated at 600 kW. The actual peak charging power amounted to 546.4 kW. Zeekr currently operates 900 charging stations in China housing 2,483 charging points rated at 360 kW and above. The company plans to roll out another 1,000 stations or so before calling it done.

The 001 model received a mid-life refresh in late February that saw its electric motors upgraded for faster acceleration. The power electronics on board were switched to the 800V standard. Zeekr said back then that it expected the updated car to go from 10 to 80 percent charge in 11 and a half minutes. It has now proven that exact point.