Chinese automaker Geely has unveiled a system that can charge an electric vehicle in just four minutes, posing a new challenge for domestic industry giant BYD.
Geely has also introduced a next-generation EV battery and an upgraded Galaxy E5 pure-electric SUV as it seeks to revive sales in China, where EV sales declined for 11 consecutive months through August.
Geely’s latest product launch, which has started a sort of battle to decide who can set the industry’s fastest charging speed, shows how the world’s largest vehicle market has moved into a cutthroat competition over technology, with automakers competing on intelligent driving systems, range and ultra-fast charging capabilities to attract buyers.
Supported by a 2.2-megawatt charging infrastructure and a high-rate battery capacity, Geely said its new setup can charge a vehicle from 10% to 70% in 4.5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in eight minutes and 40 seconds under normal ambient temperatures.
“Current charging speeds are already approaching the physical limit, and the marginal gains from pursuing even faster speeds in the future will become increasingly small,” Geely executive Zhang Dewang told Reuters at the launch event.
To ensure vehicle stability and safety under such high power, Geely is reportedly deploying AI across cloud and on-vehicle systems.
The technology, which will use cloud-based twin simulations paired with deep-learning models, will be directly deployed on the EV to monitor battery health, manage thermal control, and predict potential hazards.
BYD, on the other hand, has been investing heavily in flash-charging and megawatt-level charging networks to ease range anxiety and win customers.
Earlier in 2026, the Tesla rival unveiled a new generation flash-charging system that can charge a battery from 10% to 97% in nine minutes.
“Geely’s broader charging ecosystem would in the future resemble traditional gasoline stations with diverse brands, adding that multi-party infrastructure development will accelerate the global rollout of fast-charging networks,” Zhang concluded.
Image Courtesy: Geely