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Themis Qi

Battery makers and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers have seized on the Beijing Auto Show to showcase technologies promising shorter charging times in a race triggered by BYD and Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL).
Fast-charging technology has dominated the floor at the 10-day event which runs until May 3. Second-tier Chinese battery suppliers including CALB Group, EVE Energy and Sunwoda unveiled products capable of boosting power to 70 per cent, from a starting point of 10 per cent, in under 10 minutes – pushing charging times into the single digits.
Sunwoda extended the technology to electric bicycles, presenting a battery that charges from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 20 minutes and lasts for at least 2,000 cycles.
EV start-up Nio, better known for battery swapping than ultra-fast charging, staged a live demonstration showing a full swap completed in three minutes.
“The time needed to replenish energy is perhaps the final frontier where electric vehicles have yet to fully surpass petrol cars in China,” said Li Xianyang, a battery specialist at Sunwoda. “So everyone has to compete on time.”

The race followed consecutive launches by BYD and CATL of batteries claiming to boost an EV’s charge from 10 per cent to 97 per cent in less than 10 minutes.
Foreign brands still saw charging from 10 per cent to 80 per cent take around 20 minutes, according to reports.
At the auto show, China’s EV leader BYD set up booths for its cars, batteries and autonomous driving system. The company’s Blade Battery 2.0 and Flash Charging technology were unveiled earlier at a press conference in March.
Days before the car show, CATL, the world’s largest EV battery producer, launched its upgraded technologies – including lighter battery packs and faster charging modes.
During the launch event, CATL chief technology officer Gao Huan said the company was confident in balancing charging speed with battery durability. In March 2025 he said it was inadvisable to sacrifice reliability, lifespan and safety of battery products to pursue excessively fast charging.
BMW’s high-voltage battery and energy module production head Markus Fallbohmer also said in early April that the firm would not compromise other key factors to increase charging speed.
At the auto show, Jacky Gu Jie, a vice-president focusing on power train at EV start-up Xpeng, said frequent fast charging could damage batteries, given the chemical nature of some of the metals used.
However, Gu added that fast-charging-enabled batteries would be “over-designed” to ensure that drivers did not encounter issues during normal use. “The competitive landscape isn’t very friendly these days,” said Gu. “If you don’t keep improving, others will.”
Demand for fast-charging technology appears to be rising. A salesman from CALB, surnamed Liu, said 60 to 70 per cent of its customers had already requested faster charging solutions.
Ethan Zhang, equity research analyst at investment bank Nomura, predicted fast charging would become a common feature, though he added that marginal improvements would diminish once users became accustomed to the function.
Yale Zhang, managing director at Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, said charging times of five to 10 minutes should be an industry standard if EV makers wanted to win over petrol car drivers.
Xpeng’s Gu also warned that advanced technology meant higher costs. “Cost is still the most important factor in all kinds of competition, rather than performance,” Gu said. “All firms need to show their muscle” in terms of technology but they could not ignore expenses, Gu added.
China’s domestic EV sales slumped 23.8 per cent year on year to about 2 million units in the first quarter, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed, as buyers turned cautious after the halving of the 10 per cent sales tax exemption.


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Fast-charging technology takes centre stage at the Beijing Auto Show as firms unveil batteries promising unprecedented speed


Fast-charging technology takes centre stage at the Beijing Auto Show as firms unveil batteries promising unprecedented speed.


Need for speed: China’s EV, battery makers race to cut charging times to under 10 minutes

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Fast-charging technology takes centre stage at the Beijing Auto Show as firms unveil batteries promising unprecedented speed

Fast-charging technology takes centre stage at the Beijing Auto Show as firms unveil batteries promising unprecedented speed