From 10-97% SOC in 9 minutes: Sunwoda joins the flash charging race

Chinese battery maker Sunwoda has unveiled a new fast-charging battery system that it says can take a car battery from 10% to 97% charged in about 9 minutes, adding roughly 60 miles of range for every minute plugged in. Notably, the company says it hit these speeds at normal room temperature, which matters because heat buildup during ultra-fast charging is usually the main obstacle engineers have to manage. Sunwoda also claims the system performs well in cold weather, adding about 435 miles of range in 15 minutes even at -20°C.

Sunwoda supplies batteries to automakers including Geely, Dongfeng, and GAC, and says the new batteries carry a 10-year or 300,000-kilometer warranty with no restrictions on how often owners use fast charging. That's notable because there's long been a concern that frequent fast charging wears down batteries faster over time. Alongside the battery news, the company also showed off a charging setup that pairs solar power and battery storage with its fast chargers, aimed at utilities and microgrid operators rather than individual homeowners.

None of this is available for purchase yet, and there's no word on when or if vehicles using this technology will reach the US or other markets outside China. For homeowners, the relevant takeaway is more about the direction of the industry than anything to act on now: battery charging speeds keep improving, and companies are increasingly promising that faster charging won't shorten a battery's usable life the way it once did.