Battery makers and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers have seized on the Beijing Auto Show to showcase technologies promising shorter charging times in a race triggered by BYD and Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL).

Fast-charging technology has dominated the floor at the 10-day event which runs until May 3. Second-tier Chinese battery suppliers including CALB Group, EVE Energy and Sunwoda unveiled products capable of boosting power to 70 per cent, from a starting point of 10 per cent, in under 10 minutes – pushing charging times into the single digits.

Sunwoda extended the technology to electric bicycles, presenting a battery that charges from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 20 minutes and lasts for at least 2,000 cycles.

EV start-up Nio, better known for battery swapping than ultra-fast charging, staged a live demonstration showing a full swap completed in three minutes.

“The time needed to replenish energy is perhaps the final frontier where electric vehicles have yet to fully surpass petrol cars in China,” said Li Xianyang, a battery specialist at Sunwoda. “So everyone has to compete on time.”

The race followed consecutive launches by BYD and CATL of batteries claiming to boost an EV’s charge from 10 per cent to 97 per cent in less than 10 minutes.