Chinese automaker BYD announced what it calls a “flash-charging” battery and charger that is capable of being charged at 1 megawatt (1000 kilowatts), twice as fast as Tesla’s 500kw supercharger. This would mean that the battery, boasting a “10C” rate of charge can be fully charged in 6 minutes, and 5 minutes of charging can give you 400 kilometres of travel, claims Wang Chuanfu, the founder and CEO of BYD.
The BYD system of battery and charger, called “super e-platform” (超级e平台) combines 1000A of current with 1000V of voltage to create its 1-megawatt charging speed. Before that, BYD had achieved a “4C” charging rate that can be fully charged in 15 minutes. The platform was announced with the two RV models that support “flash-charging”, the Han L and the Tang L. The technology makes BYD the first automaker in the world to claim that its EVs can charge as fast as petrol cars.
On Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform, the topic “BYD flash-charging battery has 1 megawatt of charging power” (#比亚迪闪充电池充电功率1兆瓦#) reached number 13 on the Hot Search list with 74.29 million views. BYD’s share prices also jumped on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) the next morning on 18 March, up 6% from the previous day.
BYD share prices have been rising since the year began. Last month, the brand announced its ambitious plan to democratise smart driving, making it “as common as seatbelts and airbags” in the next 2 to 3 years. With the latest reveal, BYD seems to be another step ahead of its rivals technologically.
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