Lotus is launching into fast charging and unveils its new charging stations, capable of delivering up to 450 kW of power. Enough to give Tesla and Ionity a cold sweat, while the deployment of these infrastructures is planned for next year. Enough to recharge a car in less than 15 minutes.
Many motorists still fear running out of battery power with their electric car and want greater range. However, with more than 110,000 terminals in France, there is now nothing to fear. Especially since new operators continue to enter the market.
A new alternative
We think in particular of Ionity, Fastned or more recently IECharge, without forgetting Lidl, among others. But that’s not all, because manufacturers also want to enter this increasingly competitive market. This is for example the case of Nio with its 500 kW terminals or even Xpeng, which is limited to 480 kW, not to mention of course Tesla with its Superchargers. For the record, these currently peak at 250 kW in direct current.
But now another brand wants to enter this market. This is Lotus, which plans to only sell electric cars in the coming years, in order to be in line with European Union policy. Currently, the manufacturer markets its Eletre and recently unveiled its Emeya, rival of the Tesla Model S and the Porsche Taycan.
But there is no question for the firm, which belongs to the Chinese group Geely, to stop there. This is how the latter has just lifted the veil on its new fast charging solution, in a press release just published. And Lotus is not doing things by halves, since its new fast terminal would be capable of delivering a maximum power of 450 kW. As a reminder, Ionity is satisfied with 400 kW at the moment.
Enough to allow an Eletre to recover no less than 145 kilometers of autonomy in just five minutes. And this while the R version mentioned in the press release has a battery with a generous capacity of 112 kWh. Which is very generous and allows it to display a range of 490 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle, even if we know that a large accumulator is not always ideal.
Innovative technology
According to the brand, such power allows you to go from 10 to 80% in just 20 minutes. But that’s not all, because the manufacturer also offers another solution intended for places that require even more power. This power cabinet is capable of deliver no less than 480 kW to a terminal and is intended in particular for motorway areas, where charging must be as fast as possible.
This is to avoid excessively long waiting times during summer commutes in particular. Finally, Lotus also unveiled a charging unit capable ofpower up to four vehicles at once by delivering no less than 600 Amps. To achieve such values, the Sino-British firm uses liquid cooling of the charging cable.
Recharging at 450 kW allows you to go from 10 to 80% battery in less than 15 minutes with a compatible car. Like the Xpeng G9 in 4C version which accepts a maximum power of 430 kW.
Tesla uses it in particular for its Superchargers as well as its Megachargers, while NASA recently used this solution. The goal ? Design a charging-capable cable capable of filling an electric car battery in five minutes. This method allows heat to be better dissipated and avoids any risk of overheating, which then limits the power of the load.
These new terminals are already present in China and they should arriving in Europe during the second quarter of 2024. And good news, they will be open to all owners of compatible electric cars, but the price of charging has not yet been announced. Lotus specifies that an update will be offered to Eletre drivers so that their SUV benefits from maximum power of this terminal.