China’s BYD looks to make EV charging as fast as filling up with petrol

Leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD has unveiled a new-generation battery featuring charging speeds that the company says can rival a refill at a petrol station.

BYD’s Blade Battery 2.0, launched on Thursday, can be charged from 10 per cent to 70 per cent in five minutes, and to 97 per cent in nine minutes, which the company said was the world’s fastest charging speed for a mass-manufactured unit.

Even in extreme weather, with temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit), it will only take 12 minutes to charge from 20 per cent to 97 per cent, BYD said.

BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu said the industry’s current solution to range anxiety relied on building larger batteries and more charging stations, which led to a waste of resources without addressing the underlying problem.

“The only way out is to make charging as fast and convenient as refuelling a gas car,” Wang said at a live-streamed launch event. “Once we replicate that refuelling experience, these anxieties will vanish.”

Wang said the company would build a network of 20,000 “flash charging” stations equipped with the latest technology across China by the end of this year, with 18,000 to be incorporated within existing facilities. The charging stations can hit a peak output of 1,500kW, BYD said.