Lotus’ New 450 kW EV Charger Adds 140 KM of Range in 5 Minutes

Lotus reveals its latest EV charger lineup, which will be part of its new EV charging network

Lotus’ rapid electromobility adoption sees the British marque waving goodbye to its ICE models, shifting its focus to the new EV lineup comprises two of its latest super-EVs – the Eletre SUV and Emeya saloon. To support its growing EV lineup, Lotus is introducing its multiple charging solutions, which includes an ultra-fast DC charger with one of the highest charging capacities in the world.

Lotus' new 450 kW  ultra-fast DC charger with liquid cooling technology

This ultra-fast DC charger is developed by Lotus with a built-in liquid cooling system, plus a stellar maximum charging capacity of 450 kW. At this rate, Lotus claims this ultra-fast DC charger is capable of giving the Eletre R EV SUV up to 140 KM of maximum EV range with just 5 minutes of charging time. For comparison, Tesla’s new Supercharger V3 only grants 120 KM of range in the same amount of charging time.

Meanwhile, this 450 kW unit also enables the Eletre R’s massive 111.9-kWh battery pack  to be juiced from 10% to 80% in 20 minutes.

This 450 kW unit (left) comes with four connectors, as well as a dedicated power cabinet (right)

This monolithic DC charger comprises a power cabinet, a charging unit, as well as four connectors, with each of them comes with a channel that allows coolants to flow through the connector. Lotus claims that this channel can prevent the connectors from overheating in hot conditions, as well as improving charging efficiency in colder climates.

More importantly, this new 450 kW unit won’t be locked to Lotus owners only, thus allowing other EV brands to utilise this ultra-fast charging facility. Lotus did note, however, that this unit will be “particularly effective” on EVs equipped with a 800-volt battery architecture.

Aside from Lotus EVs, this new EV charging network will also be opened to other EV brands

This new liquid-cooled 450 kW DC charger will be part of Lotus’ new EV charging infrastructure, which is already up and running in China. Other key markets like the UK and Europe are set to get this new charging network as early as Q2 2024. This launch is also in-line with the marque’s Vision80 strategy, which will see Lotus becoming an “all-electric global technology” brand in 2028 – in conjunction with its 80th anniversary.

While this charging network is open to other EV brands, it remains unknown whether Lotus or its parent company Geely will make this ultra-fast charging technology available for third parties to purchase and adopt. One example of this case is Tesla, who recently sold $100 million (RM465 million) worth of its Supercharger V3 hardware to BP, which will be used for the new BP Pulse EV charging network.