A new battery from Chinese automaker Zeekr could help alleviate EV range anxiety. The new battery is made using upgraded lithium iron phosphate, and it can charge from ten percent to 80 percent in just ten and a half minutes when connected to Zeekr’s V3 ultra-fast charger, the company claims.
Range anxiety is a huge issue for many—even in regular vehicles—but it is especially worrying in the EV world, where batteries typically only hold enough juice for between 200-250 miles, and they take up to an hour to charge again fully.
Having a battery that could reach back up to 80 percent within just ten minutes or so would do a lot to offset EV range anxiety. You’d be able to stop for a charge and then get back on the road a short time later. It would also help cut down on long queues at charging stations.
Anxiety over running out of charge on the road has been a big part of the reason why EVs haven’t been more widely adopted, especially in recent years when many more affordable options have become available. However, hybrids from companies like BYD have helped close the gap by giving drivers the option to use both electric and gas power to travel.
Zeekr says it will ship these new batteries in its 2025 007 Sedans, which are set to start being delivered next week, Bloomberg reports. The batteries will even continue to work in colder conditions, too—conditions as low as 10 degrees Celsius—which is where many batteries start to degrade more quickly. At that point, the cells will only need 30 minutes to reach 80 percent charge, Zeekr claims.
If the battery does indeed prove to be as much of a breakthrough as Zeekr is claiming, then it should offer EV owners a great way to alleviate their EV range anxiety—though the company has yet to share exactly how much range the batteries will offer at full charge.