125-mile range in 5-minute charge: Huawei unveils ultra-fast liquid-cooled EV charger

Electric vehicles can now add up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) of driving range in just five minutes of charging. This is what Huawei’s new ultra-fast charging platform promises. It uses a direct-current, liquid-cooled architecture to charge vehicles quickly without placing heavy demands on local electricity networks. Huawei presented the technology at the Power2Drive event during the Smarter E exhibition in Munich. The hardware addresses grid constraints that often delay the installation of high-power vehicle chargers across European regions with older power infrastructure. Conventional battery storage units use alternating current connections, which require multiple power conversion stages. Huawei’s platform connects its battery energy storage system directly to a direct-current bus. Removing an entire power conversion stage increases the electrical efficiency of the storage unit to 92.1 percent. Construction schedules drop significantly This direct-current setup also stops unwanted energy from feeding back into the external power grid. Because the system draws power from its internal battery during peak charging periods, a charging site can run on a grid connection of just 50 kilowatts. As a result, operators do not need to apply for grid capacity expansion permits, and construction schedules drop from several months down to a few weeks. The charging hardware includes liquid-cooled power units, liquid-cooled direct-current dispensers, and boost direct-current dispensers. The primary dispensers supply an electrical current of up to 800 amperes, while the boost dispensers provide up to 600 amperes. The full platform supports a total power output of up to 720 kilowatts across an operating voltage range of 150 to 1,000 volts. Huawei has also introduced a megawatt-level charger in China, which will undergo field testing before it arrives in European markets. Using enclosed liquid-cooling system To manage heat, the platform uses an enclosed liquid-cooling system across its power units, dispensers, and cables. This design keeps wet dust and salt fog away from sensitive internal electronics, which extends the operational service life of the hardware to ten years and lowers maintenance requirements. The liquid cooling also keeps operational noise levels below 55 decibels. The entire hardware system has obtained prime-level safety certification from TÜV. The charging network uses an automated power-sharing matrix that dynamically distributes electricity across all plugged-in vehicles. This power scheduling raises system utilization and reaches an overall operational efficiency of 96 percent. The modular design lets operators upgrade from fast charging to ultra-fast charging over time without replacing the core equipment. These infrastructure developments coincide with rapid progress in vehicle battery chemistry across the industry. China FAW Group’s luxury brand, Hongqi, recently shared test data from a prototype battery engineered for high-power inputs. During laboratory trials, the battery charged from a 10 percent state of charge to 70 percent in three minutes and 41 seconds. Extended charging took the battery from 10 percent to 97 percent in eight minutes and three seconds, reflecting broader industry efforts to reduce total dwell times at charging locations. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.An active and versatile journalist and news editor. He has covered regular and breaking news for several leading publications and news media, including The Hindu, Economic Times, Tomorrow Makers, and many more. Aman holds expertise in politics, travel, and tech news, especially in AI, advanced algorithms, and blockchain, with a strong curiosity about all things that fall under science and tech.