China tests ultra-fast EV battery that charges to 70% in 3 minutes and 41 seconds

To tackle the persistent challenge of fast charging, experts are working to make powering electric vehicles as quick and effortless as possible. The goal is a seamless charging experience where drivers can pull into a station, stretch their legs, and return to a almost full battery in the time it takes to order a quick coffee. That is the ambitious future China FAW Group’s luxury brand, Hongqi, is reportedly promising. The automaker recently unveiled test results for its newly developed ultra-fast charging battery prototype. Tests demonstrate the battery can surge from a 10% to 70% state of charge in just 3 minutes and 41 seconds. Pushing the plug a little longer gets you to 97% in just over 8 minutes. If these lab figures make it to the assembly line, Hongqi will set a new benchmark and dethrone BYD. To prevent overheating and cut energy use, the battery uses an adaptive thermal management system that automatically adjusts its cooling strategy whether the car is parked or driving. EV charging race CNEVPost reported that BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery is currently hailed as a top-tier standard. For context, BYD’s battery takes about 5 minutes to sweep from 10% to 70% using its latest high-powered flash chargers. Hongqi’s benchmark shaves over a minute off that time. In the rapidly evolving electric vehicle space, a single minute is a eternity. Developed alongside China Automotive New Energy Battery Technology (CNET), the power cell relies on a blistering 12C peak charging rate. To achieve this without frying the internal components, Hongqi worked on the fundamental battery chemistry. For this, a custom low-desolvation electrolyte coupled with a composite carbon-coated anode was designed. Together, these tweaks slash internal cell resistance by 15%, letting lithium ions zip back and forth with minimal friction. Taming the heat Ultra-fast charging creates massive heat. Extreme heat destroys batteries. To keep the cells from cooking themselves, Hongqi built an adaptive liquid-cooling thermal system. The setup continuously monitors conditions, actively throttling dynamic power delivery and enforcing real-time voltage safety boundaries. Paired with a safety-first charging protocol, it monitors cell temperatures in real time to regulate power output, ensuring optimal battery health without compromising charging speed. During full-throttle 25°C tests, the temperature variance across the entire pack never exceeded 3°C. It’s a uniform result for a battery handling that much raw energy. The key difference lies in commercial reality: BYD’s Blade batteries are actively powering assembly-line cars today, whereas Hongqi’s hyper-charging cell lacks both a production schedule and a commercial home. It stands as a promising prototype, following in the footsteps of the solid-state pack Hongqi debuted in its Tiangong 06 test car late last year. High-speed charging serves as a pivotal selling point for Hongqi as the brand scales its global footprint across Europe and the Middle East to take on traditional legacy automakers. Most high-end EVs today use 4C or 5.5C rates (such as Zeekr’s or Li Auto’s 5C CATL Shenxing/Qilin batteries, which take ~10–11 minutes a charge for 10% to 80%). China’s luxury carmaker isn’t content letting tech giants dominate the EV transition. If Hongqi can bring this tech to production, the dreaded EV road-trip wait time is officially dead.Recommended ArticlesGet the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Mrigakshi is a science journalist who enjoys writing about space exploration, biology, and technological innovations. Her work has been featured in well-known publications including Nature India, Supercluster, The Weather Channel and Astronomy magazine. If you have pitches in mind, please do not hesitate to email her.