The Chinese market is not a stranger to electric car models whose traction batteries can recharge from 0 to 80% in 15 minutes or slightly more. This magnifies the relevance of a robust network of high-speed charging stations. Huawei is planning to install 100,000 such stations in China by the end of this year, offering a recharge rate of 1km per second. On average, these stations will charge an electric vehicle in just eight minutes.
As explained by Nikkei Asian Review, the charging time calculation considers an average traction battery capacity of 80 kWh under favourable weather conditions. A warm climate is preferable as preparing the battery for charging during cold weather extends the charging process. As of November’s end, China housed over 11,000 Tesla Supercharger stations whose maximum power in the country does not exceed 250 kW. Hence, recharging an electric vehicle battery of the same capacity takes almost 20 minutes under identical conditions.
Huawei equips its high-speed charging stations with a 600 kW capacity and a liquid cooling system. The company claims that its years of experience in developing network communication base stations enable it to create charging stations resilient in any weather conditions. Huawei is not the only player in China offering charging stations of comparable power. For example, XPeng started installing several hundred 480 kW charging stations in August.
Crucially, any electric car brand owner can connect to Huawei’s charging stations, unlike Tesla’s stations in China, which only allow this in 20% of cases. However, among the charging stations installed by Huawei and its partners, there will also be less potent modifications designed to a maximum of 250 kW. Although Huawei currently plans to restrict activities to the Chinese market, it is ready to venture beyond China should demand arise.
