Geely-owned automotive brand Zeekr has announced creating a new generation of traction battery cells set to debut in its 007 sedan. While staying relatively low price-wise, they exhibit higher energy density and take less time to charge than all previous designs.
The company never mentioned the actual capacity numbers, but said that all 800V vehicles would be able to go on for another 500 kilometers (310 miles) after spending just 15 minutes at a charging station.
The batteries are lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) by composition, which is partially why they are on the affordable side compared to nickel-manganese-cobalt ones. LFP power cells are believed to have inferior energy storage density compared to the competing formats, but Zeekr claims its R&D team has managed to work around those limitations. As a result, the batteries have a useful volume ratio of 83.7% – more than many similar designs on the market today.
Furthermore, all batteries have passed a thorough safety expertise including resistance to punctures and other forms of mechanical damage. They were also found to remain efficient in cold weather.
The company also mentioned expansion plans for its high-power charging station network. By the end of the next year, Zeekr expects to have up to 1,000 stations operational in China that will deliver 360 kW and higher. By 2026, the carmaker plans to have 10,000 stations up and running nationwide.