Geely switches on 2.25 MW chargers in China and seeks partners for up to 1,000 kW stations in Germany
Geely's "Smart Charging C12" stations are already running in five Chinese cities. The Zeekr 001 and Lynk & Co 10 charge at up to 1,100 kW, from 10 to 97% in under 9 minutes. In Germany, Geely wants stations of up to 1,000 kW, but without a timeline.
Just a week after unveiling them, Geely already has its first chargers with a peak output of 2,250 kW, or 2.25 megawatts, in service. The stations are called "Smart Charging C12" and have appeared in five Chinese cities: Hangzhou, Shanghai, Ningbo, Jiaxing and Xi'an. The news comes from Chinese media, via National Business Daily, as reported by CarNewsChina and electrive.
More interesting for us in Europe: Geely wants to bring the technology to Germany, where it's looking for local partners to build stations of up to 1,000 kW.
How fast it charges
Geely presented the system on September 23 in Ningbo, together with a new battery capable of 12C charging. The "C12" in the name refers to that charging rate: in theory, a battery charged at 12C would fill up completely in five minutes. In practice it takes longer, because 12C is a peak, not a constant rate.
For now, two cars from the Geely group can use part of that power:
| Zeekr 001 | Lynk & Co 10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Body | wagon | sedan |
| Battery voltage | 783.3 V | 772.8 V |
| Peak charging power | 1,100 kW | 1,100 kW |
| 10–70% | 4 min 30 s | 4 min 30 s |
| 10–97% | 8 min 40 s | 8 min 40 s |
These are the figures Geely announced, as reported by CarNewsChina. So no car on sale today can take the full 2,250 kW. Geely is working on a 1,000 V architecture for future models, aiming to bring 10–80% charging below 5.5 minutes.
2.25 MW per connector, with an asterisk
The charger runs at up to 1,500 V and 1,500 A, hence the 2,250 kW. Geely says the peak output is available on each connector. Electrek points out, however, that no cars can currently accept 1,500 V. So in practice the station can charge two cars at the same time, each at more than 1 MW.
To keep the battery under control at these power levels, Geely uses an AI system developed with Chinese company StepFun, called Xingrui PowerMind. It connects the car, the battery, the charger, the power grid and the on-site stationary storage. According to Geely, the system predicts the battery's temperature rise 30 seconds ahead and adjusts the power accordingly. The target: an average temperature below 55°C and a peak below 65°C during charging. Liquid cooling runs all the way from the stationary storage through the charger, cable and connector to the car's battery. Geely claims this extends battery life by more than 20%.
China's megawatt race
The move is a direct answer to BYD. In March, BYD launched its own charging system with up to 1,500 kW per connector, and it already had 10,000 of those stations by the end of August, with a target of 20,000 by year-end. Geely aims to reach 15,000 stations with 50,000 connectors across China in 2027.
Electrek puts it in perspective: in the US, the fastest announced charger, EVgo's 750 kW unit, has been pushed back to 2027. And most Tesla Superchargers there are still capped at 350 kW or less.
The plan for Germany
According to a Geely press release seen by electrive, the company wants to focus on the German market through its Geely Auto division. It's looking for local partners to jointly build ultra-fast charging stations of up to 1,000 kW, again using the PowerMind system. China's 12C standard doesn't appear to be under consideration for Europe. And, importantly, Geely hasn't given any timeline for a European network.
What it means for drivers
For drivers in Romania and the rest of Europe, 2.25 MW still sounds like science fiction. The stations only exist in China for now, and the cars that can use more than 1 MW are, for the moment, Geely models presented for the Chinese market. The German plan is still an important signal. If Geely finds partners, 1,000 kW charging could reach German motorways, which many of us drive on to get to Western Europe. Without a timeline, though, it remains an intention rather than a promise. Until then, on long trips what matters is still how fast your car can charge, not just how powerful the charger is.
