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

By Ju-min Park

NINGBO, China, Sept 23 (Reuters) - China's Geely 0175.HK responded to the challenge posed by rival BYD 002594.SZ 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.