Piech Touts Fast-Charging Battery for New EV

Piech Holding AG says its upcoming Mark Zero electric car’s battery can be recharged to 80% capacity in just four minutes and 40 seconds.

The Swiss-based startup is working with Chinese partners Desten Group Ltd. and Qingdao Tgood Electric Co. on the necessary technology. 

Hong Kong-based Desten reportedly has developed a new type of battery that can handle “significantly higher” currents with only a nominal increase in heat. This enables fast charging and eliminates the need for bulky cooling systems that can weigh as much as 200 kg (440 lbs), according to the partners.
 

Qingdao Tgood is developing a recharging infrastructure in China for the fast-charging batteries. The company currently operates 210,000 conventional charging stations in more than 300 Chinese cities.

Piech estimates the Mark Zero (above) will have a driving range of about 500 km (310) miles. This equates to nearly 250 miles (80%) in less than five minutes of charging, compared with a 120-mile range in eight minutes for the most efficient battery currently on the market.

Piech plans to unveil the Mark Zero coupe at this week’s Geneva auto show. The two-seater is powered by three electric motors—one in the front and two in the rear—that produce a combined 603 hp.

The vehicle rides on a modular platform that also is expected to carry a sedan and crossover vehicle in coming years. Production could start in about three years.

The company was co-founded two years ago by Anton Piech and entrepreneur Rea Stark Rajcic. Piech is the son of former Volkswagen Group chairman Ferdinand Piech and great-grandson of Ferdinand Porsche.