Zeekr’s Australia-bound 7X electric SUV has achieved a fast-charging time of under 10 minutes thanks to the blistering speeds offered by its battery pack, making it the fastest-charging SUV in the world.
In a real-world charging test, Kyle, a YouTuber from the US, did a charging test in which charging speeds approached 470 kW, helping the car get from 0-70% in under 10 minutes.
Similarly, charging from 10 to 80% was achieved in under 10 minutes, with charging speeds of 250 kW still seen even at that high state of charge.
The test took around 20 minutes, and the Zeekr 7X was charged at a Zeekr Power charging site in Ningbo.
This site has eight stalls with about 800 kW of available power across its dispensers, and the Zeekr 7X was able to pull speeds of up to 470 kW from one of them.
For comparison, currently, the fastest charging cars in Australia can charge at peak speeds of around 250 kW, except the new Porscha Taycan and Macan, which have real-world charging speeds of under 300 kW.
The Zeekr 7X was unveiled to the world at the Chengdu Auto Show 2024 in September. At it’s launch, pre-sales with a starting price of RMB 239,000, less than $A50,000, were revealed.
The 7X will also feature a 75 kWh Golden brick Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery that has been developed by Zeekr engineers in-house.
This battery uses an 800 Volt electrical system architecture and is available in the car’s base variant, delivering 480 km of WLTP range on a single charge.
In December, Zeekr opened the 7X configurator in Europe with a starting price of €55,990 and topping at €62,990 for the Performance AWD variant.
One unique feature in Europe is a 2-tonne of braked towing across all its variants, making it one of the most capable electric vehicles for towing.
This model is expected to land in Europe by the middle of the year, marking a milestone for the company in the European market.
Since the car’s launch in China, over 30,000 units have been delivered to customers in under three months, highlighting the demand for this SUV.
In December, I test-drove the Zeekr 7X at Ningbo International Speedway. As part of the drive, what stood out was the styling, interior quality and the driving dynamics.
The premium interior had various unique features, including a table tray with a tablet in the rear seats for work or entertainment while on the go.
Last month at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the company announced its plans to build a Zeekr-branded charging network globally, starting with Australia as one of its key initial markets.
This hints at a broader rollout of services beyond the Zeekr X, 009 and upcoming 7X models the brand plans to bring to Australia.
We can’t wait to test drive the model when it lands in the second half of this year, and if the internet is anything to go by, there will be plenty of demand.
Zeekr 7X Charging Test by Out of Spec Reviews on YouTube
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure 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.