Geely unveils electric car battery that charges in 4.5 minutes

Chinese automaker Geely unveiled a new electric vehicle battery and charging system on Wednesday, claiming it can charge from 10% to 70% in just four and a half minutes, intensifying competition with rival BYD. The system uses a 2.2-megawatt charging infrastructure and a battery supporting very high charge rates, with a 10% to 97% charge taking eight minutes and 40 seconds. Geely says this speed approaches physical limits, and uses artificial intelligence to monitor battery temperature and detect potential issues during charging. The technology is a direct response to BYD, which previously announced a system charging from 10% to 97% in about nine minutes and plans for 90,000 charging stations by 2028. Geely suggests future charging infrastructure could resemble gas stations, with multiple brands sharing networks.