GAC Aion V charges in 8 minutes
The Chinese car manufacturer GAC plans to launch the Aion V with a graphene battery in September. In a demonstration, the car is said to have managed a charging process from zero to 80 per cent in eight minutes. GAC Aion showcased its super-fast charging technology in two versions, 3C and 6C.
According to CN EV Post, using the “6C” version of the Aion, 35.1 kWh flowed into the battery of the e-SUV in just four minutes during a demonstration at the end of July. The charging process to 80 per cent is said to have taken the promised eight minutes. At the 80 per cent charge level, a charging power of 481 kW was applied.
GAC alludes to the C-rate in the model designation, which indicates the maximum charging power in relation to the energy content of the battery. The Aion V 6C is supposed to have a range of 1,000 kilometres according to the NEDC standard.
The “3C” version has a standard range of 500 kilometres and charging to 80 per cent is said to take 18 minutes. Further data on the battery used in the “3C” version has not been revealed. So it is not clear whether this is also a graphene battery or a more conventional cell chemistry. With a range of 500 kilometres and an 18-minute charging time, this version is on a par with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, which manage this with conventional lithium-ion batteries without graphene.
The GAC Aion V has already been on the market since 2020 and has so far been offered with three battery sizes. These versions are expected to be replaced by the new variants from September.
The difference with graphene batteries lies in the anode, where graphene is used instead of the usual graphite. Unlike graphite, graphene consists of only one carbon layer and is therefore only one carbon atom thick. In February, GAC announced a breakthrough in the graphene battery and also set the start of the series models for September.
Including reporting from Sebastian Schaal
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