The Soaring Development of High - Power Charging in the New Energy Vehicle Industry

By Rick Wilson April 1st, 2025 0 reviews

In the dynamic landscape of the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry, Huawei's HarmonyOS Smart Mobility continues to achieve remarkable feats, especially in the rapid expansion of its ultra - fast charging network. As of December 22, 2024, Huawei has established 510 ultra - fast charging stations across China, equipped with a total of 8,712 ultra - fast charging guns. These stations are spread across 120 cities in 31 provinces. Recently, 34 new Huawei ultra - fast charging stations have been put into use, not only in first - tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen but also in other cities such as Chongqing, Xiamen, Qingdao, Chengdu, Wuhan, Changchun, Lanzhou, and Hohhot, offering more convenient charging options for car owners.

According to international media reports, Tesla's Supercharger network set a new record in October this year. With up to 60,000 Superchargers deployed globally, it remains the world's only electric vehicle DC fast - charging network covering multiple countries. Meanwhile, Tong Zongqi, the deputy secretary - general of the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance, emphasized in a media interview that high - power charging technology is crucial for improving charging efficiency, reducing charging time, enhancing user experience, and promoting the popularization of NEVs, thus contributing to green travel and sustainable development.

The Current Situation of High - Power Charging Piles in the Chinese Market

The increasing popularity of 800V voltage platform NEVs has propelled liquid - cooled super - fast charging to become the mainstream energy - replenishment method. Chinese automakers have widely promoted vehicles with 800V voltage platforms, leading to the upgrade of public DC charging infrastructure. In the first nine months of 2024, 99% of the newly added charging infrastructure were chargers with a voltage of 750V or higher. By October 2024, the number of high - power charging piles in China had approached 100,000.

Many models, including the ZEEKR 007, XPENG G9, Xiaomi SU7, and AITO M9, are equipped with 800V voltage platforms. Take the all - electric version of the AITO M9 as an example. It is equipped with Huawei's "Gigantic Whale" 800V high - voltage battery platform, which can provide a 150 - km range with just 5 minutes of charging and has a range of 630 km under the CLTC condition.

With the maturity of the high - voltage supply chain, companies like BYD, XPENG, and Li Auto have invested in the research and development of 800V architectures, accelerating the layout of ultra - fast charging technology in the NEV field. Currently, there are over 60 models with 800V high - voltage platforms on the market, and the market penetration rate in the first half of 2024 was nearly 8%. Moreover, the prices of high - voltage charging models have dropped from 800,000 yuan to 300,000 yuan or even 150,000 yuan.

Why Liquid - Cooled Ultra - Fast Charging Technology Becomes the Mainstream

Liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging technology is gradually replacing air - cooled ultra - fast charging and becoming the new favorite in the industry due to its efficient heat dissipation, large current - carrying capacity, and fast charging speed. It uses a dedicated liquid circulation channel and cooling liquid to achieve efficient heat dissipation during the charging process. It also has an IP65 protection rating, low noise, a larger current - carrying capacity, faster charging speed, and lighter charging cables. Compared with air - cooled charging, liquid - cooled heat dissipation generates less heat, dissipates heat faster, and is safer.

In addition, liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging technology is favored for its easy maintenance and long service life. Compared with traditional air - cooled charging modules, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of its charging system is lower, showing significant cost - effectiveness.

Main Competitors and Their Solutions

As the NEV market booms, many manufacturers have launched liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging technology solutions:

Tesla: Tesla has deployed V4 Superchargers in some areas of the United States, supporting a charging power of up to 325 kW. Its North American charging business leader, Max de Zegher, revealed that all V4 Superchargers with V3 charging cabinets will support a 325 - kW charging rate in the future. The newly launched V4 charging cabinet can work in conjunction with V4 Superchargers, with a maximum charging power of 500 kW for passenger cars and 1.2 MW (1200 kW) for Tesla's electric heavy - duty commercial trucks (Semi).

Huawei: At a recent charging pile exhibition, Huawei showcased its super liquid - cooled charging station. The full - liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging terminal has a maximum output power of 600 kW and a maximum current of 600 A, enabling a charging speed of one kilometer per second. It is compatible with mainstream models on the market, covering a wide charging voltage range of 200 - 1000V, suitable for passenger cars like Tesla, XPENG, and Li Auto, as well as commercial vehicles like Huolala. Huawei's fast - charging automatic charging robot has also been unveiled and is expected to be mass - produced in the first half of 2025. The robot can accurately identify the car's charging port using cameras and radars and achieve automatic charging. It is compatible with all brands in the Huawei Ultra - Fast Charging Alliance and has a seamless charging function. The Huawei Ultra - Fast Charging Alliance has attracted many automakers, including Avita, BAIC, and BYD. Huawei's super liquid - cooled charging facilities are also expanding globally. In March 2024, Turkey's leading energy company Enerji SA, in cooperation with Zebra and Huawei Digital Energy, launched the first liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging station in Turkey.

XPENG: At the Beijing Auto Show, XPENG announced that its 800 - kW liquid - cooled S5 ultra - fast charger would be fully upgraded in the third quarter of 2024. The energy - replenishment speed will reach the industry - leading level of "more than one kilometer per second." The XPENG S5 liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging station has a maximum power of 800 kW, a plug - in start - up time of less than 13 seconds, a maximum output current of 800 A, and a maximum output voltage of 1000V. XPENG is accelerating the construction of its charging network, aiming to build 1600 self - operated charging stations by the end of 2024, with 1300 already in operation and 1000 under construction.

NIO: NIO has announced the detailed technical parameters of its new ultra - fast charging pile, with a peak power of 640 kW, a maximum output current of 765 A, and a maximum output voltage of 1000V. It has also disclosed its latest layout of charging facilities, including 20,955 public charging piles, 9,632 ultra - fast charging piles, 1,137 500 - kW ultra - fast charging piles, and 1,263 high - speed ultra - fast charging piles across the country.

Xiaomi: On December 25, Xiaomi Auto announced a charging pile sharing cooperation with NIO, Li Auto, and XPENG. Xiaomi will access part of the charging pile resources of the three automakers, including 14,000 from NIO, 9,000 from XPENG, and more than 6,000 from Li Auto. These charging piles will be integrated into the Xiaomi charging map. Previously, Lei Jun revealed at the Xiaomi SU7 launch event that Xiaomi Auto will use 600 - kW liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging technology to build its own super - charging network and plans to implement it first in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.

ZEEKR: ZEEKR launched several 800V models this year and achieved independent R & D and innovation of 800V power batteries. Its ZEEKR Charging network is the first in China to fully support 800V high - voltage fast charging. In the third quarter, ZEEKR Energy launched an automatic charging robot integrated with an ultra - fast charging pile, working in conjunction with the V3 ZEEKR Charging pile with a maximum output power of 800 kW. With the parking end - to - end scenario model and real - time communication technology, the system will enable autonomous and efficient energy replenishment for vehicles in the future.

Future Outlook

It is predicted that by 2025, NEVs equipped with liquid - cooled ultra - fast charging technology will gradually expand from the high - end market to the mid - and low - end markets, leading to a rapid increase in the number of ultra - fast charging models. In the commercial vehicle sector, the value of ultra - fast charging technology will be even more prominent. By 2028, the market share of high - voltage ultra - fast charging models is expected to exceed 60%.

From Zeekr

As the NEV market develops rapidly and the vehicle population grows, domestic attention to "energy - replenishment anxiety" is increasing, and government support is also strengthening. It is expected that the number of super - charging piles will grow rapidly in the next three years. Moreover, as domestic NEVs expand overseas, domestic charging piles are also stepping onto the global stage. Compared with the 7.5:1 vehicle - to - charging - pile ratio in China, the public vehicle - to - charging - pile ratios in Europe and the United States are both over 15:1, indicating huge market potential. Currently, Tesla's V4 Superchargers have been deployed in many parts of the world, and it plans to start deploying V4 Superchargers in the Chinese mainland in 2025. We will closely monitor which manufacturers can seize the development opportunities of super - charging piles and witness the prosperity of the market.