Charging EVs in Australia on road trips is not as quick as pulling into a petrol station along a highway with an ICE car. It can take quite a long time,  depending on the speed of the charger. 

That’s about to change, at least in China. XPeng, a rapidly growing EV manufacturer in China that has several EVs in its stable, has now launched an ultra-fast charger that will add 200kms of range in 5 minutes.

XPeng showcased their new S4 480kW ultra-fast chargers at a launch event where it also revealed that it has hit 1,000 charger installs in its local market of China, according to Cnevpost .

The chargers will offer a current rate 670A of current and are IP67 weather protected where the chargers. This will help add 400kW of charging power giving it 200km of range in 5 minutes at lower state of charge. This brings it closer to the time taken to fill up an ICE car today.

As a comparison, the current V3 Tesla Superchargers deliver 631A/250kW provide 150km of range in 5 minutes.

First of these ultra-fast 480kW XPeng S4 chargers were also put into operation yesterday, making up the 1,000th active chargers. 

XPeng’s model range that can be charged with the 480kW chargers includes the XPeng G9. It’s an SUV that is based on the 800V architecture.

XPeng showcased adding 210kms of range in 5 minutes at the ultra-fast charging tech launch event yesterday. The same SUV had 22,819 pre-orders within 24 hours of its opening, last week.

It’s also worth noting that not all EVs will be compatible with this charging technology and currently in Australia only a handful can charge at speeds above 200kW. These include the Tesla range, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and the Porsche Taycan. 

Tesla recently also announced an updated Tesla supercharging design. These are the new Tesla V4 superchargers that were spotted in some engineering drawings last month.

These chargers are expected to be a bit of a step up from the current V3 superchargers that are found in various locations around Australia. There are also many 120kW V2 sites currently in operation too.

Fast charging site reliability and speeds are key factors for many current and future EV owners. Having newer charging stations that can offer reliable high-speed charging along major highways across Australia will be welcomed by many and help get more people to make the switch to EVs sooner. 

Technological advancements like the XPeng S4 ultra-fast chargers and Tesla’s V4 superchargers show us what is to come, making cleaner, longer journeys an overall better driving experience.

Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne. He is a mechanical engineer who worked all around Australia building infrastructure for the first 7 years of his career before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.

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