Xpeng G9 claims to be fastest charging electric car

A new start-up car company has made a bold claim about its newest SUV, but there is one big issue holding it back.

Xpeng G9 electric SUV.

A new electric car contender is ready to take the fight to Tesla.

Xpeng, one of a growing number of electric vehicle start-ups in China, has revealed its new G9 flagship SUV.

The Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID. 4 sized X9 boasts some serious hardware that no other current electric car can match.

Xpeng G9 electric SUV.

Xpeng claims its batteries can accept charging rates of up to 480kW, which is good enough to add 200km of range in just five minutes and send the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 15 minutes.

Currently the fastest charging electric car can accept 350kW of energy. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Porsche Taycan claim that rate.

The only problem with Xpeng claims is there are currently no public EV chargers that can deliver that amount of energy at once.

Xpeng G9 electric SUV.

Xpeng is trying to make a big splash in Europe with other markets likely to follow.

It has two vehicles, the P5 and P7, which are of similar size to the Tesla Model 3 and Model S.

In Europe these vehicles are smartly styled, packed with equipment, have a generous driving range and are competitively priced compared to luxury rivals.

The coming G9 has a claimed driving range of more than 700km for the range-topping version.

Xpeng G9 electric SUV.

It comes in rear or all-wheel drive layouts. The former uses a single electric motor that makes 230kW and 430Nm and the dual motor all-wheel drive variants pump out 405kW and 716Nm.

The company claims the top-spec version can sprint to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds.

The Xpeng has other goodies such as semi-autonomous driving capabilities, a huge wide-screen central display, ambient lighting, a voice assistant and a 5D audio system.

Xpeng G9 electric SUV.

It also has a vehicle to load function, which means it can use its battery to power appliances and other small items.