Chinese automaker BYD has become the first in the world to unveil a commercial battery for electric vehicles that is capable of charging in roughly the same amount of time as it takes to fill up a fuel tank.
BYD’s new Super E-Platform offers 1,000kW charge speeds, which is four times quicker than the 250kW charging rates of Tesla superchargers.
These speeds can offer a range of up to 400km (249 miles) in just five minutes of charging.
During a live stream event at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, BYD said mass production of the new technology would “completely solve users’ range anxiety when travelling”.
The first models to feature the ultra-fast charging system will be BYD’s latest Han L and Tang L models, which will only be available in China to begin with.
Demand for electric vehicles in China has soared in recent years, with more than 20 million battery-powered cars now on the road.
BYD is the best-selling brand in China, accounting for roughly a third of all EV sales in the country. Last year, the company overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest EV manufacturer, despite a relatively modest market share in Europe – and still no presence in the US.
Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) revealed that the global surge in electric vehicle sales has seen demand for combustion engine cars begin to drop.
The figures showed that electric cars made up 18 per cent of all new cars sold worldwide in 2023, up from 14 per cent the year before.
Meanwhile, sales of combustion engine cars fell by a quarter from 83.7 million to 62.8 million between 2018 and 2023, suggesting that global sales of polluting vehicles have already peaked.
BYD’s latest breakthrough is expected to continue driving demand, though the flash-charging system will require specialist charging ports in order to achieve the most efficient charging times.
The company’s founder, Wang Chuanfu, said during the livestream that prices for the Han L and Tang L models will likely start at around $40,000.
