Zeekr’s game-changing Golden Battery is world’s fastest mass-produced battery that adds 500km of range in just 15 minutes
Chinese car-making giant Geely’s new Zeekr brand has revealed its latest battery technology
that will raise the bar for fast charging when it launches early next year.
Dubbed the ‘Golden Battery’, Zeekr says it will introduce the new powerpack in the all-new
Zeekr 007 sedan that goes on sale on December 27, ahead of deliveries beginning on January
1.
Claimed to be the world’s fastest mass-produced battery to charge, when it makes its debut
Zeekr says, thanks to its 800-volt electrical architecture and novel construction, the Golden
Battery can withstand a charge of up to 500kW.
That means, a Zero-80 per cent top-up takes just 15 minutes – around ten minutes faster than
the current quickest batteries to charge and half the time it takes for slowest cars in its
class.
The only catch is you’ll have to find a charging post that can deliver a 500kW charge. Currently, Australia’s very fastest chargers can only deliver up to 350kW.
Zeekr says the secret to such fast charging is the Golden Battery’s compact sandwich structure construction that boosts energy density compared to the latest class-leading batteries from the likes of CATL and makes it incredibly tough when it comes to dealing with extreme levels of heat associated with super-fast charging.
The same new fire-resistant materials the battery cell is made out of are claimed to not explode when subjected to extreme heat, which is reassuring, and to prove it Zeekr says when dropped in a fire pit at a temperature of 700C the Golden Battery didn’t ignite or detonate for more than 240 seconds.
The bizarre fire pit test is now used by Chinese authorities to verify all batteries to ensure they are safe and are able to withstand 130 seconds before they’re signed off.
Developed completely in-house by Zeekr and its parent Geely, the new batteries will be manufactured in eastern China in Geely’s own Quzhou factory in the Zhejiang province.
By resisting out-sourcing battery development and production, Zeekr says the Golden Battery is 14.8 per cent cheaper to produce than slower-charging conventional batteries used by rivals.
Following the launch in the 2024 Zeekr 007, the Gold Battery will roll out in other vehicles produced by Geely-owned brands that include the fledgling Geometry EV brand, plus by the more established car-makers owned the Chinese group that include Polestar, Proton, Smart, Volvo and, even, Lotus.
