Chinese automaker Chery has entered the megawatt electric vehicle charging race with its new Volt-Dragon system, which has a stated peak output of 1.44 megawatts (MW). The company says the technology can charge a compatible battery from 10% to 97% in six minutes and 50 seconds.
The announcement adds Chery to a growing group of Chinese companies developing ultra-high-power charging infrastructure, following similar initiatives from BYD, Geely and Huawei.
Volt-Dragon Targets Ultra-Fast Charging
Chery presented the Volt-Dragon system at its Global Innovation Conference, alongside CheryMind, the company’s own large artificial intelligence model, according to industry publication Car News China.
The automaker said Volt-Dragon can deliver peak charging power of 1.44 MW. However, the company has not yet identified compatible production vehicles or disclosed detailed technical specifications for the charging system.
Vehicles capable of using the technology are expected to require high-voltage electrical architectures, potentially based on 800-volt or 1,000-volt platforms. Chery has not confirmed which models will support the system.
The company also plans to introduce automated charging using a robotic arm and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality, which would allow compatible vehicles to return electricity to the power grid.
Chery Joins Competition With BYD, Geely and Huawei
Megawatt charging has become an increasingly important area of competition among Chinese automotive and technology companies seeking to reduce charging times for electric vehicles.
BYD says its Flash Charging system can charge a battery from 10% to 98% in six minutes and 27 seconds. Geely and Huawei have also introduced megawatt-class charging solutions, with reported charging times of approximately eight to nine minutes over the same state-of-charge range.
These figures are not directly comparable without further information about battery capacity, charging curves, temperature conditions and the vehicles used in testing. Actual charging performance also depends on the battery’s ability to accept high power throughout the charging session.
Chery has not yet disclosed whether the Volt-Dragon system’s stated charging time was achieved under conditions comparable to those used by its competitors.
Initial Rollout Planned Across Ten Cities
Chery plans to begin deployment with charging stations in ten cities. The company has not yet released a detailed rollout schedule or identified the locations.
Further expansion plans are expected before the end of 2026. Chery has set a longer-term target of deploying more than 20,000 Volt-Dragon stations worldwide by 2029, with the network designed to support V2G functionality.
The target would place Chery among the companies pursuing large-scale, high-power charging networks. BYD reported reaching 10,000 Flash Charging stations at the end of August 2026 and has outlined plans to expand that network to 20,000 stations by the end of the year.
Achieving Chery’s target will require investment in grid connections, power equipment and compatible vehicles, as well as sufficient demand to support station utilisation.
CheryMind Links Charging With Future AI Applications
The Volt-Dragon announcement was made alongside CheryMind, Chery’s large AI model. The company intends to connect the model with future robotaxis, Level 4 autonomous-driving systems and its charging infrastructure.
Chery has not explained how the integration will work in practice or specified which functions CheryMind will perform across those systems.
The proposed combination points to a broader strategy linking vehicle intelligence, autonomous mobility and energy infrastructure. Automated charging could reduce the need for drivers to connect charging cables manually, while V2G technology could enable compatible vehicles to supply electricity back to the grid when required.
The commercial impact will depend on the availability of compatible vehicles, deployment costs and the development of the supporting energy infrastructure.
For now, Volt-Dragon remains an announced charging platform, with further details on compatible models, station locations and deployment timelines still to come.