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The Chinese Startup NIO Developed an Ultra-Fast Charger for Electric Cars. NIO’s New Technology Offers 500 kW and Can Recharge Vehicles in Just 3 Minutes.
The competition among electric car manufacturers in China is very intense not only for the models that are produced but also for the services that can be offered, such as fast charging. The electric vehicle startup NIO already has more than a thousand battery swap stations in China, but now it also wants to launch its own network of ultra-fast chargers.
NIO Launches Ultra-Fast Charger for Electric Cars with 500 kW Power
According to the company, the ultra-fast charger will be able to offer up to 500 kW, surpassing rivals like GAC Aion with its 480 kW charger. NIO’s new product will have a capacity to produce a maximum current of 650 amperes.
The Chinese company has not yet stated how quickly this would be able to charge its electric cars, especially since none of them seems to operate with more than 90 kW currently. The company plans to launch a package of solid-state batteries of 150 kWh for its electric cars, so that it can charge at the 500 kW provided by the ultra-fast charger, considering that, at the moment, it seems that NIO announced it merely to avoid falling behind its other Chinese rivals in the near future.
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In addition to the already mentioned GAC Aion, XPeng is also launching its own 480 kW ultra-fast charger, putting pressure on NIO to match this power.
NIO also recently announced that starting in 2024, it will begin manufacturing its own 800-volt electric car batteries, which will likely not be solid-state. However, these components are expected to generate much higher charging speeds than in the current ET7 or ES8 models.
NIO Ultra-Fast Chargers Will Be Installed by the End of This Year
NIO is currently much more reliant on its large network of battery swap stations that can install a charged battery in one of the compatible electric cars in a matter of minutes. Perhaps this is why the company has not focused on providing the highest charging speed in the industry, even though the battery-as-a-service model may not work as well in the U.S. or Europe, where premium electric car buyers want increasing charging powers.
During the second NIO Power Day event, the Chinese automaker announced that its electric vehicle ultra-fast charger would be 20 kW more powerful than its rivals, but also gave a preview of the third-generation swap stations.
The expectation is that the chargers will be installed starting at the end of 2022 or early next year and will allow more batteries to be stored at each location, as well as additional flexibility that is currently not possible.
Terra 360 — The Fastest Charger in the World
Norway received two Terra 360 electric car chargers, capable of fully charging a vehicle in just 15 minutes.
The charging station has a maximum capacity of 360 kW, which is much higher than most current chargers, which have power ranging from 50 to 150 kW. The equipment was built at a ski resort in Norway, located in the town of Geilo and also in the city of Bergen, the second largest in Norway.
The chargers have the capacity to charge two electric cars at the same time. The project is the result of a partnership between ABB and Eviny, both manufacturers of chargers for electric cars.
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