Geely turns to 4-minute EV charging, AI in battle with BYD

By Ju-min Park

NINGBO, China, Sept ‌23 (Reuters) - China's ​Geely responded ​to the challenge posed by rival BYD on Wednesday with a system that can charge an EV in just four minutes, ‌the industry's fastest speed.

Geely also introduced a next-generation electric vehicle 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.

China's EV market has moved into a battle 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 8 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 stability and safety under such high power, Geely is deploying ⁠AI across cloud and on-vehicle systems.

It uses cloud-based twin simulations paired with deep-learning models deployed directly on the EV to monitor battery health, manage thermal control, and predict potential ⁠hazards.

The new technology is Geely's direct response to aggressive moves by rivals such as BYD, ​which have invested heavily in flash-charging and megawatt-level charging networks to ease range anxiety and win customers.

Earlier this year, BYD unveiled a new generation flash-charging system that can charge a ‌battery from 10% to 97% in nine minutes. It plans to build 90,000 stations by 2028, Deutsche Bank has ‌said, citing a meeting with BYD's management.

Geely's Zhang said the 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.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Miyoung Kim and ‌Alexander Smith)

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