BYD Han EV 3.95 2023. Taken on November 4, 2023. Photo by: RL GNZLZ.Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has released a new system that it claims charge cars as quickly as it takes when filling up a tank with petrol.
The company also announced that it will build an extensive charging network across China, igniting a supercharging race as electric vehicles continue to gain traction not only in that country but around the globe.
BYD piles pressure on Tesla with the new system
Speaking during an event that was livestreamed on Monday from the company’s Shenzhen headquarters, founder, Wang Chuanfu revealed that the new system, called “super e-platform” will be capable of peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts, allowing cars that use it to travel as much as 400 kilometers or 249 miles on a five-minute charge.
According to Reuters, for BYD to achieve this performance, it said it developed a package of technologies including batteries with a 10C charging multiplier, which means they can be charged at 10 times the battery’s capacity per hour.
Additionally, others include high-power motors, high-volt silicon carbide power chips and fast chargers that support 1,000 KW of power.
This is expected to address skepticism by drivers of electric vehicles, who have expressed concerns that their batteries could go flat during long distance drives, pushing automakers to come up with fast charging and battery-swapping tech as the solution.
According to The Guardian, this charging system reportedly surpasses Tesla’s superchargers. By comparison, Tesla sticks with a 400-volt system that can charge up to 250KW for its electric vehicles.
Now, the latest development at BYD is expected to put pressure on the American automaker, which is currently going through a turbulent period characterized by negative investor sentiment with the stock falling 15% on 10 March in disapproval of Musk’s White House role. The tech billionaire has been instrumental in cutting federal spending as part of the DOGE initiative under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Since last December, when Tesla’s market value hit a record high of $1.5 trillion, it has gone down by almost half. The electric vehicle maker has missed targets and faces mounting pressure from investors to produce autonomous vehicles which Musk promised but failed to deliver more than 10 years ago.
Now, the company faces increased competition from more affordable electric vehicle models like those that BYD and other Chinese companies produce.
BYD targets to build 4,000 charging units across China
For BYD, Chuanfu revealed the company has been working towards enhancing efficiency particularly achieving shorter charging periods in line with customer needs and demands.
“In order to completely solve our users’ charging anxiety, we have been pursuing a goal to make the charging time of electric vehicles as short as the refuelling time of petrol vehicles.”
~ Chuanfu
“This is the first time in the industry that the unit of megawatt (charge) has been achieved on charging power,” added Chuanfu.
According to The Guardian, the new charging system will be initially available in two electric vehicles – Han L sedan and Tang L SUV, which cost 270,000 yuan or $37,330. The company has revealed it will build about 4,000 charging units or piles across China to match the new platform.
However, BYD did not specify how much it will invest in developing those facilities. Despite accounting for a third of EV sales in China, BYD has largely relied on other automakers’ charging facilities or some public charging poles that are run by third-party operators to charge their vehicles.
The company also rely on plug-in hybrids for its sales, which hit 4.2 million units in 2024, and it targets to sell between five and six million units this year.
As for Tesla, it has offered its superchargers in China since 2014. However, BYD’s smaller peers in that country, for instance Nio, Li Auto, Xpeng, and Zeekr have also been investing expansively and building charging facilities for years.
Last year, Zeekr indicated that its target was to build 100,000 ultra-fast charging poles or 2,000 ultra-fast charging stations nationwide by 2026.
Another player, Huawei has developed liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging piles that support a maximum charging power of 600KW and vehicles of up to 1,000-volt architecture. As of last year, Huawei’s deployment of charging facilities, including the ultra-fast chargers, had exceeded 50,000 piles.
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