Chery presented its Volt-Dragon fast-charging technology at a global innovation conference in Wuhu, China. The company says the system can add 500 km of driving range in five minutes. In a room-temperature test, a battery charged from 10% to 97% in six minutes and 50 seconds, a result that includes the slower final stretch of charging. Chery has not identified the test vehicle or battery capacity, specified how the range figure was measured, or said when customers could use the technology.
The charging equipment is rated for up to 1.44 megawatts and 1,500 amps, though those figures describe the charger’s maximum capability, not necessarily the power accepted by a vehicle throughout a session. Chery says the cable and connector together weigh 2 kg, while operating noise stays below 50 decibels. The company also showed a station combining solar generation, energy storage and bidirectional charging, allowing compatible vehicles to return electricity to the grid. Robotic arms for connecting vehicles were described as a future possibility.
Chery plans to build 20,000 stations worldwide by 2029. Its announcement comes amid intense competition in China: BYD has cited a five-minute charge for 400 km of range, while Geely has reported charging a test vehicle from 10% to 97% in eight minutes and 40 seconds. Chery’s key next step will be demonstrating that Volt-Dragon’s claimed performance can be repeated at public charging sites.