Chery Claims a 10–97% Charge in Under Seven Minutes, But Leaves the Big Questions Open

Chery used its Global Innovation Conference in Wuhu on October 20 to show off something it calls “Volt-dragon” — a fast-charging setup paired with a station that generates solar power, stores energy and feeds electricity back to the grid. The headline number: 500 km (about 311 miles) of range added in five minutes.

Chinese coverage of the event, relayed by CarNewsChina, adds a sharper figure still. A room-temperature test reportedly took a battery from 10% to 97% in six minutes and 50 seconds. Chery’s own English-language material confirms the five-minute range claim but stays quiet on the 6:50 mark.

Claimed Figures: 500 km range added in 5 minutes · 10–97% in 6 min 50 s (reported) · 1.44 MW / 1,500 A peak charger rating · 20,000 V2G stations planned by 2029

And that’s where the detail runs out. Chery hasn’t said which car was tested, how big its battery is, what test cycle the range figure uses (CLTC is the safe assumption for a Chinese claim), or when any of this reaches customers.

The Station Is the Real Story

Look past the stopwatch and the demonstration was about infrastructure. Chery wants to sell a charging post that makes its own electricity, banks it, and lets compatible cars push power back into the grid. Bidirectional charging is baked in, not bolted on.

Everyday usability got some attention too. The cable and connector together weigh 2 kg (4.4 lb), and Chery says operating noise stays under 50 dB. Further out, the company sketches robotic arms that plug in for you.

Peak specs of 1.44 MW and 1,500 A are the equipment’s ceiling, not a sustained draw — no passenger car holds that rate across a whole session. Chery also hasn’t confirmed the vehicle actually pulled those numbers.

China’s Charging Race Is Now Measured in Seconds

Chery is arriving late to a very crowded sprint. The benchmarks have tumbled fast:

• Li Auto (March 2024): Mega minivan, 500 km in 12 minutes
• Zeekr: 10–80% in 10.5 minutes on upgraded LFP cells
• BYD (March 2025): Super e-Platform, 1,000 V architecture, 400 km in five minutes — with the Han L and Tang L named as the first recipients
• BYD Blade gen 2: 10–70% in five minutes, 10–97% in nine
• Hongqi (experimental): 10–70% in 3:41, 10–97% in 8:03
• Geely (September 23): 2,250 kW system, 10–97% in 8:40 on prototype Lynk & Co 10 and Zeekr 001 vehicles

Xpeng opened a megawatt station in Hong Kong last month, and battery supplier Sunwoda showed a pack claiming 10–97% in nine minutes. Against that field, Chery’s number is competitive — not revolutionary.

What Would Actually Settle It

A production date. BYD attached its megawatt claim to specific models you can order. Chery has attached its claim to a conference stage.

That gap matters more than the seconds. Automakers can hit spectacular peak rates in controlled conditions; what drivers experience depends on the charger they find, the temperature outside, and whether the pack is pre-conditioned. Until Chery names the car, the chemistry and the rollout, the 6:50 figure is a lab result with a marketing wrapper.

The 20,000-station target for 2029 is the more consequential promise — and the harder one to keep.