[Digital Today intern reporter Seung-a Yoo] China's Hongqi has released test results showing battery charging time reduced to under 4 minutes.

On July 29 (local time), EV outlet InsideEVs reported that Hongqi, under the FAW Group, said an experimental battery jointly developed with Lishen Battery took 3 minutes 41 seconds to charge from 10 percent to 70 percent.

The test was conducted at 25 degrees Celsius. Hongqi also presented that under the same conditions the battery charged from 10 percent to 97 percent in 8 minutes 3 seconds. It comes a year after China's EV industry touted 5-minute charging as a new benchmark, with a case now presented as even shorter.

The key is charging speed. Hongqi said the battery reaches a peak 12C charging rate. That means it can charge at 12 times the battery's capacity; using an 80 kilowatt-hour battery as an example, that corresponds to peak charging power of about 960 kilowatts. Hongqi explained it lowered internal resistance with a new anode material, electrolyte and a carbon-coating process, and kept temperature differences within the pack during charging to about minus 14.8 degrees or less using liquid cooling.

The results, however, are based on an experimental battery. FAW did not disclose the battery's capacity, peak charging power or battery chemistry. It did not say which vehicle will use the battery or when it will be applied to actual customers. For now, it is closer to a one-off test conducted under controlled conditions.

That is shifting market attention from the record itself to whether mass-production validation is possible. China's charging competition has already moved beyond the 5-minute benchmark presented last year. BYD demonstrated a 1-megawatt charging system last year and charged more than 50 percent in less than 5 minutes on the battery of a production Han L sedan. BYD's 'Super e-Platform' supports up to 1,000 kW and has presented that a 5-minute charge can secure about 250 miles, about 400 km, of driving range.

CATL is also putting forward faster figures. Its third-generation Shenxing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery was presented as taking 3 minutes 44 seconds to charge from 10 percent to 80 percent and 6 minutes 27 seconds to reach 98 percent. CATL claimed the battery can retain more than 90 percent of its original capacity even after 1,000 ultra-fast charging sessions.

Brands under Geely have also joined the competition. The midsize sedan Lynk & Co 10 demonstrated charging from 10 percent to 70 percent in 4 minutes 22 seconds and to 97 percent in 8 minutes 42 seconds, with peak instantaneous power reaching about 1,100 kW. Zeekr showcased charging from about 4 percent to 80 percent in under 7 minutes on an updated 001 model, with peak power exceeding 1.3 MW.

Ultra-fast charging technology is spreading beyond passenger cars to commercial vehicles. CATL recently said a new commercial-vehicle battery takes under 7 minutes to charge from 20 percent to 80 percent, with another 2 minutes needed for a full charge.

Hongqi's announcement shows China's EV makers are accelerating a trend of touting charging performance ahead of rivals. Hongqi, however, has yet to present a production-vehicle-based demonstration like BYD or Zeekr. The point to watch is whether laboratory records can translate into performance that is repeatable in real vehicles and charging-network conditions.