BYD's Fast Charging System
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BYD's Fast Charging System
Chinese Electric Vehicle Manufacturer BYD's Fast Charging System Could Be as Fast as Gasoline Refueling.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has introduced a new charging system that could make electric vehicles charge as fast as filling up with gasoline.
BYD founder Wang Chuanfu said at an event livestreamed from the company's Shenzhen headquarters on Monday that two new BYD models would be able to receive peak charging power of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling them to travel 400 km (249 miles) with a five-minute charge.
BYD was the world's second-largest battery electric vehicle manufacturer in 2024, right behind Tesla. However, the Chinese company also sells hundreds of thousands of plug-in hybrid vehicles that combine battery with gasoline engines.
1,000 kW – or 1 megawatt (MW) – charging speeds would be twice as fast as Tesla's superchargers, which provide power up to 500 kW. Fast charging technology is seen as a key element to increase electric vehicle adoption.
In a move mimicking Tesla, BYD also said it would build 4,000 of its own "flash charging stations" across China to provide fast charging capability. The company did not specify a timeframe and did not disclose how much investment it would make to build these facilities.
Wang said, "To completely solve our users' charging anxiety, we are pursuing the goal of making electric vehicle charging time as short as gasoline vehicle refueling time. This is the first time in the industry that the megawatt unit has been achieved in charging power."