Geely Claims AI Charging Tech Can Extend EV Battery Life By Up To 20%

Geely Auto Group has unveiled an AI-based fast-charging system that it says can charge an electric car in under five minutes while also extending battery cycle life by up to 20%, intensifying its rivalry with BYD in China's electric vehicle market.

The Chinese manufacturer introduced Geely Smart Charging in Ningbo on Wednesday, alongside a fifth-generation charging station rated at a peak output of 2,250kW. According to the company, the system paired an AI model called Xingrui PowerMind, developed jointly with Chinese start-up StepFun, with what it terms "lithium-ion pulse restoration technology."

On production Lynk & Co 10 and Zeekr 001 models fitted with Geely's 12C-rated battery, the company said the system took the state of charge from 10% to 70% in four minutes and thirty seconds, and to 97% in eight minutes and forty seconds. Geely executive Zhang Dewang said at the launch that charging speeds were nearing their physical limits and that further speed gains would yield diminishing returns, according to Reuters.

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The pulse-restoration claim is more contentious. Geely said micro-pulse currents could "reactivate" lithium ions that build up on a battery's negative electrode during repeated fast charging, a phenomenon known as lithium plating, thereby recovering lost capacity over time. The company's own materials gave inconsistent figures for the resulting gain, alternately citing "up to 20%," "20%" and "more than 20%" additional cycle life, without disclosing test protocols, battery chemistry or baseline comparisons. No independent laboratory has verified the claim.

Published research does support pulse charging as a technique to slow lithium plating during fast charging, but recovering capacity already lost to plating is a considerably stronger and less established claim. Geely also did not specify a rollout timeline or number of stations for its fifth-generation charger, whose rated output is roughly double what its current production vehicles can draw.