Geely pushes the energy replenishment battle into 2 megawatts.

Author | Zhou Zhiyu

Automakers and battery companies are rapidly expanding their fast charging networks. On the evening of September 23, Geely announced that its new generation of intelligent charging technology has a peak power of 2,250 kilowatts per charging gun, and plans to build more than 22,000 charging stations by the end of 2027, including more than 15,000 intelligent charging stations.

The past month has seen a flurry of activity in the energy replenishment sector. On August 28, BYD completed its 10,000th flash charging station, covering 332 cities; on September 17, Sunwoda Power launched its open ecosystem platform for photovoltaic, energy storage, and flash charging, proposing to build 10,000 megawatt flash charging stations by the end of 2027. Automakers continue to expand their networks, and battery suppliers are also including station construction in their business plans, leading to a growing number of participants in the energy replenishment race.

Geely's expansion of its charging network closely follows changes to its new models. The new Galaxy E5, launched alongside its smart charging technology, achieved a 70% charge from 10% in 8 minutes and 25 seconds in Geely's published room-temperature test for the 6C smart charging version; the Lynk & Co 10, equipped with a 12C battery, achieved an average charging time of 4 minutes and 30 seconds for the same charging range. Fast charging is becoming a key selling point for new cars, and automakers need to build charging stations in locations easily accessible to car owners. Detours to find charging stations and long queues at stations can all waste the time saved by battery technology.

Geely currently has over 2,500 charging stations, covering 232 cities. The next phase of construction will extend to county-level cities and urban areas, aiming to have smart charging stations within 2 kilometers of core urban areas in first-tier cities, and gradually achieving coverage within 3 kilometers in other cities. It has also integrated the charging maps of Geely, Lynk & Co, and Galaxy, and is offering first owners of eligible newly launched smart charging models a two-year charging benefit worth 2,000 yuan.

From over 2,500 to 22,000 stations, Geely needs to add nearly 20,000 new stations in the next year or so. Megawatt-scale charging adds a power supply challenge to station construction: even if charging facilities already exist in commercial parking lots and highway service areas, sufficient power capacity may not be available. With each site waiting for expansion, the network deployment speed can easily be slowed down by the progress of power connection.

Geely's new smart charging pile supports simultaneous megawatt output from dual charging guns and adopts an integrated photovoltaic-energy storage-charging design. According to their plan, high-power charging is powered jointly by the grid and on-site energy storage, reducing reliance on grid expansion. The electricity required for high-power charging can be pre-stored in the on-site battery and released in a concentrated manner when the vehicle enters the station. The addition of an energy storage device to the fast charging station also opens up markets outside of the automotive industry for battery companies.

Sunwoda's newly launched solution integrates power batteries, energy storage systems, charging main units, and terminals, offering cooperation options such as equipment supply, complete solution delivery, network co-construction, and joint investment and operation to automakers and operators. The supplier is beginning to help customers solve the problem of "where to fast charge after the battery is installed in the vehicle," and is also including orders for charging station equipment in its business scope. For automakers preparing to expand their networks, the options for complete procurement and cooperative station construction are increasing accordingly.

Existing charging stations are a key focus of this expansion. Of BYD's target of 20,000 flash charging stations this year, 18,000 are planned to use a "station-within-a-station" model, adding flash charging equipment to existing operator sites. Sunwoda also includes the renovation of old charging stations and highway service areas as potential deployment scenarios. Geely, on the other hand, proposes collaborating with industry partners to build its network. Existing parking spaces, power supply conditions, and traffic flow at charging stations provided by operators form the foundation for this expansion.

High-power charging equipment and energy storage require investment, and rental and maintenance expenses also need to be covered. At the conference on September 17th, Wang Lei, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Charging Alliance, stated that the charging and battery swapping industry is facing profitability challenges. Operators participating in equipment upgrades need to recoup their investment through increased charging volume. Geely's approach of integrating users from several brands onto a single map, coupled with charging benefits, can effectively provide a pool of initial customers for partner stations.

Sunwoda has launched its complete flash charging solution to the market, while automakers like Geely are opening their charging stations to owners of other brands. Fast charging technology and networks are spreading to more brands. The infrastructure invested in by automakers benefits their competitors, and the influx of vehicles helps reduce the cost of charging stations. As the charging competition progresses, fast charging becomes increasingly close to becoming a basic requirement for selling electric vehicles. Even after the cars are sold, the investment in building and operating charging stations will continue.

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