Chery unveils 1.44 MW charging system and opens 100 stations in China
Chery unveiled its Volt-Dragon charging system at its Global Innovation Conference. With a claimed peak output of 1.44 MW, the system is intended to cut electric vehicle charging times and compete with megawatt charging networks from BYD, Geely and Huawei in China.
Stations feature liquid cooling and a lightweight cable
Chery says the Volt-Dragon system achieves an overall efficiency of 96.5% from the grid to the charging connector. The stations will use the latest generation of silicon carbide power electronics.
An immersion liquid-cooling system will dissipate heat during megawatt charging. According to the specifications, the cable and connector together weigh two kilograms. Noise from an operating station is not expected to exceed 50 dBA.
The system’s compatibility with vehicles using 800 V platforms or platforms above 1,000 V remains an assumption for now.
Chery’s claimed charging time trails only Shenxing
Chery says the system takes 6 minutes 50 seconds to charge a battery from 10 to 97%. CATL’s third-generation Shenxing battery leads the comparison, with a claimed charging time of 6 minutes 27 seconds from 10 to 98%.
BYD’s second-generation Blade battery is listed at 9 minutes when comparing charging from 10 to 97–98%. Geely’s offering takes 8 minutes 42 seconds in the same category.
Chery also promises that five minutes of charging can add 500 km of range to an electric vehicle.
CheryMind to be used in charging network operations
Chery introduced its own large language model, CheryMind, alongside the Volt-Dragon charging system. The company said it plans to use the model in charging network operations, as well as in robotaxis and Level 4 automated driving systems.
One hundred Volt-Dragon stations open in ten Chinese cities
Chery said the first 100 Volt-Dragon stations have opened in ten cities across China. The company expects to expand its global network to more than 20,000 stations by 2029.
Chery promises to connect vehicles to chargers automatically using robotic arms. According to the company, the system also allows energy from a vehicle’s battery to be fed back into the grid, enabling owners to earn income.