BYD unveils platform that can charge a car as quickly as refueling with gasoline

Chinese company BYD has unveiled a new platform for electric vehicles that, it says, will make it possible to charge them as quickly as it takes to refuel a gasoline car. The company also announced for the first time that it will build a network of charging stations across China, Reuters reported.

The so-called „super e-platform“ will be capable of reaching a maximum charging power of up to 1000 kilowatts (kW), allowing cars that use it to travel up to 400 kilometers after five minutes of charging, company founder Wang Chuanfu said at an event at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. A charging rate of 1000 kW would be twice that of Tesla’s Superchargers, whose latest version offers charging speeds of up to 500 kW. Fast-charging technology is considered important for the wider adoption of electric vehicles because it helps ease drivers’ concerns that charging their cars will take too long.

„To fully address our users’ concerns about charging, we are pursuing the goal of making the time it takes to charge electric vehicles as short as the time it takes to refuel gasoline cars,“ Wang said.

According to him, this is the first time charging power has reached the megawatt range.

The new charging architecture will initially be available in two new electric vehicles—the Han L sedan and the Tang L SUV. BYD also plans to install more than 4000 ultra-fast charging posts across China that will be compatible with the new platform. The company did not disclose a timeline or the amount it will invest in the charging stations.

BYD electric vehicle owners currently rely mainly on equipment from other manufacturers or on public charging stations operated by third parties. US company Tesla has offered its charging stations in China since 2014. Smaller Chinese competitors to BYD, including Nio, Li Auto, Xpeng and Zeekr, have also been investing heavily in and building charging facilities for several years.