Hongqi Claims Ultra-Fast EV Battery Can Charge From 10% to 70% in Under 4 Minutes
China’s electric vehicle battery race is heating up again, and FAW Hongqi has entered the spotlight with a striking new charging breakthrough. The premium Chinese automaker, known as one of the country’s oldest car brands, has reportedly validated a next-generation EV battery cell that can charge from 10% to 70% in just 3 minutes and 41 seconds.
Even more impressively, the same battery is said to charge from 10% to 97% in a little over eight minutes. If these results carry over to mass production, Hongqi could have one of the fastest-charging electric vehicle batteries on the market.
The test was reportedly conducted at a 25C charging rate, with the battery capable of reaching a claimed 12C peak. These figures place Hongqi’s new battery technology ahead of several major competitors in charging speed, including BYD’s latest Blade 2 battery.
BYD introduced its Blade 2 battery earlier this year alongside a powerful 1,500 kW ultra-fast charging network. That battery can charge from 10% to 70% in around five minutes and reach 97% in about nine minutes. Those numbers are already extremely fast compared with most EVs available today, but Hongqi’s new cell trims more than a minute off the key 10% to 70% charging window.
CATL still appears to hold the top position in laboratory charging performance. Its Shenxing 3 battery has reportedly achieved a 10% to 98% charge in only 6 minutes and 27 seconds. CATL has also highlighted an exceptionally low internal resistance of 0.25 milliohms, a key factor in enabling faster and more efficient charging with less heat buildup.
Hongqi’s engineers have focused heavily on reducing internal resistance as well. The company’s battery development includes a redesigned anode, a special electrolyte with low desolvation energy, and a composite carbon coating to help lithium ions move more efficiently during charging.
Thermal management is another major part of the design. Hongqi’s battery pack uses adaptive liquid cooling to keep temperature differences within three degrees during high-speed charging. This is critical because ultra-fast charging generates significant heat, and uneven temperatures can reduce battery life or increase safety risks.
The battery also includes a real-time safety system designed to reduce charging power when needed. This helps prevent overvoltage and keeps the charging process stable, especially when pushing the cell close to its limits.
While the charging numbers are exciting, Hongqi’s battery still needs to prove itself outside controlled testing. Laboratory results do not always translate perfectly to production vehicles, where cost, durability, safety, weather conditions, and long-term battery health all matter.
That gives BYD an important advantage for now. Its Blade 2 battery is already being prepared for wider rollout across multiple vehicle models, and the company is building ultra-fast charging infrastructure to support it. Having both the battery and the charging network in place could make BYD’s solution more practical in the near term.
Still, Hongqi’s achievement shows how quickly EV battery technology is advancing. Charging times that once seemed impossible are now being reduced to the length of a short coffee stop. As companies continue competing to cut charging delays, electric vehicles become more convenient for everyday drivers and more competitive with gasoline-powered cars.
If Hongqi can bring this battery to production with strong safety, durability, and affordability, it could become a serious player in the next phase of the EV market. For drivers, the result could be simple: less time waiting at chargers and more confidence in switching to electric mobility.
