Zeekr launches 800V ‘Golden Brick’ LFP battery – 500 km range in 15 minutes; withstands fire, cold, impact

Zeekr has unveiled a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery called the Golden Brick, which the brand launched during the Zeekr Power Day event. This battery has a claimed peak charging power of 500 kW, which enables a 10-80% state of charge to be achieved in a claimed 15 minutes.

The ‘Golden Brick’ LFP battery is claimed to be ‘super safe’, reports Car News China, as it has held up to extreme tests including exposure to extreme cold of -45 degrees Celsius for eight hours, exposure to heat of 1,000 degrees Celsius, and still functioning once it was installed back into a car, according to Zeekr.

The brand claims it is the first mass-produced LFP battery with a volume utilisation of over 80% (at 83.7%) thanks to an optimised sandwich structure, ultra-thin separators and an integrated tray design, and the Zeekr 007 will be the first production vehicle to be sold with the battery when it goes to market on December 27, Car News China reported.

The main sections of the ‘Golden Brick’ LFP battery is covered in high-voltage-resistant insulation film with a golden appearance, hence its name, and which increased resistance by 27%. The battery pack is also water resistant, with an ingress protection rating of IPX8.

In addition to demonstrating the battery’s resistance to extreme temperatures, Zeekr has also shown the ‘Golden Brick’ battery to be subjected to to immersion under water for 48 hours, as well as being dragged through mud for a distance of 3 km. Following these tests, the battery was reinstalled into a vehicle, and was found to still function properly.

Zeekr also subjected the battery to crush and impact testing, having driven a 22-tonne roller over the battery as well as dropping the battery, which weighs 710 kg, from a crane at a height of 10 metres, with not resulting smoke, fire or explosion.

Earlier this week, Car News China cited China’s ministry of industry and information technology as stating that the Zeekr 007 will be offered with either a 75.6 kWh LFP battery, or a 100 kWh ternary NMC battery.

Depending on specification, the Zeekr 007 will be capable of between 688 km and 870 km of battery range, with the single-motor (415 PS RWD) powertrain paired with either battery (688 km range with the LFP battery and 870 km with the ternary NMC battery), while the dual-motor (636 PS AWD) will offer up to 770 km of range, according to the report from earlier this week.

The Zeekr 007 is an EV sedan built on the PMA2+ platform that supports an 800-volt electrical architecture, from Geely’s SEA architecture, and measures 4,865 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,450 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,928 mm.

GALLERY: Zeekr 007