XPeng G6 charges in a flash

It’s not yet here but it is in Australia, the XPeng G6. One of its claims to fame was fast charging, able to hook up to 280kW ultrafast units. But soon, it’s going all out on the charging front, a new version maxing out when it hooks up to a 451kW hypercharger. 

This then would make it one of the fastest-charging electric cars in the world. All well and good except that 500kW hyperchargers are thin on the ground. Our largest are ChargeNet’s 300kW units at the top of the Bombays and in Tauranga.

However, if you were driving one of the updated XPeng G6s in Europe, you’d be able to refresh the battery pack from 10 to 80 per cent in 12 minutes. That said, the 300kW machines here can add 400km of range in 15min in certain EVs. Tacan and Ioniq 5 N, with their 800v charging architecture, can manage a 10-80 per cent refresh on a 300kW hypercharger in 18min.

How has XPeng managed this feat? By fitting a new ‘5C Supercharging’ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. It’s not yet clear the size of the battery or the vehicle range. It’s combined with an 800-volt electrical architecture, however.

In other updates, the G6 now has a sharper, more futuristic look thanks to adopting a full-width LED lightbar at the front. There’s also a redesigned rear diffuser. 

Inside are ambient lighting, a capacitive steering wheel (senses if the wheel is being held or not), a new dashboard, and more premium cabin materials. The front seats now feature a massage function with lumbar support.

If you happen to be at the Le Mans 24 Hours race in France this weekend, you can check it out there.