Lotus is going to roll out 450 kW electric chargers in Europe, that can add more than 80 miles of range in five minutes. The first ones are expected to be installed in the spring of next year.

The charger has been designed primarily for charge point operators, fleet providers and dealerships. The technology is likely to be rolled out in select areas, with multiple chargers in each location; motorway service stations are earmarked.

The system, which won’t be locked to Lotus owners, is able to charge up to four cars at once, although typical charges are limited to two fast-charging outputs. While any EV can use them, Lotus has said the system will be “particularly effective” on cars equipped with 800V charging hardware.

Each system comprises a 450kW direct current (DC) charger, power cabinet and charging unit. Currently, the UK’s most powerful EV charger is run by Gridserve, operating at a maximum rate of 360kW and taking 15 minutes to add 100 miles of range. Coolant is sent through the charging connector to allow for hotter temperatures and therefore higher charging speeds – technology that Lotus believes is futureproof.

When tested on the new Lotus Eletre R SUV, the DC charger added up to 88.5 miles of range to the battery in five minutes, making it one of the fastest EV chargers on the market today. In comparison, Tesla’s Superchargers take the same time to add 75 miles of range. The Lotus system can also top up a battery from 10% to 80% in 20 minutes. The firm says it will offer the charger as an upgrade to its existing customers who already have a charger installed.

Alan Wang, vice-president of Lotus Technology, said: “As more governments are increasing investment into electrification in their journey to net-zero, the demand for a reliable electric vehicle charging infrastructure has never been higher than before.” The system, Lotus says, was born out of the public’s requirement for reliable charging infrastructure, citing research that concluded 80% of UK buyers are discouraged from purchasing an EV because of unreliable infrastructure.

The infrastructure is set to be installed in the UK and wider Europe in the second quarter of the 2024, and is already up and running in China. It’s not known if the tech will be made available to third parties to purchase, like Tesla did recently with sales to UK-based EG Group.