Chery has introduced Volt-Dragon, an ultra-high-power charging system for electric vehicles, in China. The company says it can deliver up to 1,440 kW and add 500 km of driving range in five minutes. Chery also claims a compatible battery can charge from 10% to 97% in six minutes and 50 seconds.
That puts Volt-Dragon close to BYD’s announced 1,500 kW Flash Charging capability. The article notes that CATL currently leads the cited charging-speed comparison: its Shenxing battery is said to reach 98% in six minutes and 27 seconds. The figures are not necessarily directly comparable, and Chery has not identified which models will support its system.
Volt-Dragon stations will need infrastructure capable of handling up to 1,440 kW, as well as temperature control. Chery says the system uses silicon-carbide power electronics, with a claimed 96.5% efficiency from the grid to the connector, and liquid-immersion cooling. The company has not specified how performance will hold up in extreme heat or cold. CheryMind, an AI model also intended for future autonomous-driving applications, is planned for upcoming vehicles across the group’s brands, though its functions remain unclear.
Chery’s first rollout phase in China is set to cover 100 stations in 10 cities. The company aims to exceed 20,000 Volt-Dragon installations worldwide by 2029 and is also working on robotic automatic connectors and vehicle-to-grid technology.